Dealing with Problematic Asymmetries in Caregiving Relationships: A Role for Social Robots?

How can a third party (person or social robot) mitigate the negative aspects of the asymmetrical dyadic relationships associated with caregiving of the elderly? We start by examining the social-psychological structure of the relationship between givers and recipients of eldercare. We then identify problems that frequently occur and review interventions that have been used or proposed for dealing with those problems. Finally, we synthesize the results of our review in terms of recommendations for how and when social robots might be used as interventions in this context.