dementia

For Sabina Misoch, Head of the Interdisciplinary Competence Centre for Ageing at the FHS St.Gallen, one of the highlights of her research trip to Japan was a visit to a nursing home offering robotic therapies.

Swiss care homes are making ever-greater use of robots. These therapeutic or activation robots, as they are known, are designed to relieve the burden on caregivers – but they should not be seen as a substitute for them.

Japan’s Takanori Shibata developed the PARO therapeutic robot almost 20 years ago. Today, PARO is used in geriatric care in over 30 countries worldwide. At the invitation of Sabina Misoch, Head of the Interdisciplinary Competence Centre for Ageing at the FHS St.Gallen, the scientist visited St.Gallen last week for a lecture – and he had a hidden surprise in his luggage.

How do people with dementia respond to robots? Sabina Misoch, Head of the Interdisciplinary Competence Centre for Ageing, discussed this question with the professor Toshimitsu Hamada and his team of researchers from Tsukuba University, one of Japan’s best universities. Professor Hamada is considered a pioneer in the field of research into robot-assisted therapy in nursing homes.

«PARO» is a robotic seal that is used around the world to help treat people with dementia. It was invented by Takanori Shibata from Japan. Sabina Misoch, Head of the Interdisciplinary Competence Centre for Ageing at the FHS St.Gallen, met up with him on her research trip to Japan.

Sabina Misoch, Head of the Interdisciplinary Competence Centre for Ageing at the FHS St.Gallen, is travelling to Japan at the end of September for a five-week research trip. The gerontologist and project manager of the national innovation network “Age(ing) in Society” will discuss (new) technological solutions with scientists and practitioners, as well as connecting with potential research partners. In an interview, she reveals which highlights are on the agenda, what she has the most respect for, and how she is preparing for Japanese culture.