| Sumario: | Participants: I. Nam (Korea), H. Jo (Korea), H. Shin (Korea), C. Jeon (Korea), H. Lee (Korea) O. Lee (USA) ISSUE Considering the current social isolation 'epidemic' and its deleterious mental, cognitive, and physical health effects, especially among solo-living older adults, human-robot interactions have the potential to provide emotional support and to reduce social isolation. Companion robots that can engage emotionally with older adults, and provide continuous monitoring and assessment of healthcare needs, have been proposed to help older adults who may lack human caregivers. CONTENT Our symposium is designed to bring together interdisciplinary speakers to present study findings 1) to evaluate the effects of affordable, multifunction companion robots called Hyodol and its acceptability among socially isolated older adults and 2) to discuss ways in which technology can improve the lives of older adults when barriers to use and adoption are overcome. Figure 1 presents various functions of Hyodol. STRUCTURE This mixed-method study by Lee and colleagues examined the effects of Hyodol on depressive symptoms and quality of life among impoverished and isolated older adults in South Korea. Next, Jo and colleagues demonstrated the effectiveness of Hyodol in homecare for community dwelling older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Finally, Shin and Jeon discuss the barriers that hinder effective use of robots and call for a dynamic and situated understanding of robots and their uses. CONCLUSION Findings illustrated high acceptability of Hyodol among these socially isolated older adults during the global pandemic, suggesting that a humanoid like Hyodol could be complementary to homecare services for solo-living older adults. Companion robots can help users better manage their physical and mental healthcare needs. Most interestingly, older users were well aware of its artificial nature, yet they made a conscious choice to anthropomorphize in search of meaningful social connection and emotional bonding.
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