The increasing proportion of elderly individuals has made elderly care a pressing societal issue, with robots anticipated to play a significant role in addressing this challenge. Beyond providing rehabilitation and physical support, researchers are also exploring the use of social robots for psychological and emotional support, particularly for individuals with dementia, to alleviate the workload of caregivers. However, recent studies indicate that while the introduction of social robots is expected to reduce caregiver burden, these technologies often fail to effectively assist individuals with dementia, inadvertently increasing the workload for care staff. This keynote will introduce ongoing research on the development of “Hiro-chan”, a baby-like robot designed specifically for elderly care. Findings from two- and four-week field trials of Hiro-chan as part of the elderly care toolkit for dementia patients and their caregivers helped us to understand how the baby-robot was perceived and interacted with, including the significant impact of the robot's interactive design on the nursing home environment. The development and implementation of Hiro-chan presents the case for an all-stakeholder-centred approach and a profound understanding of the needs of dementia patients and care staff are essential for successfully integrating robots into nursing home settings.
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