Scoping review of socially interactive agents fostering older adults’ social participation

To live actively, some older adults require stimulation, learning, or assistance in their interactions, particularly in presence of diminished abilities. Socially interactive agents (SIA) are promising to foster their participation, but research on this innovation has not been synthesized. This scoping review aims to integrate knowledge of SIAs fostering older adults' social participation. Arksey and O'Malley's method was used to search in nine electronic databases. Published mainly after 2019 (43; 70.5%), 61 studies were selected, most using mixed methods (29; 40.3%), and with authors from North America (20; 32.8%). Three primary purposes of SIA were identified: 1) acting as a daily companion, 2) facilitating social interactions, and 3) providing stimulating and entertaining. Personal and environmental factors influence the implementation and use of SIAs with older adults. Abilities (i.e. physical, intellectual and behavioral) play a key role, while physical environment (e.g. technology, housing) had a more significant influence than social aspects (e.g. sociocultural). Fun and practical functionalities of SIAs also influenced participation. SIAs helped older adults to maintain social connections and participate actively. This study sheds new light on best practices to support interventions with assistive technology and the implementation and use of SIAs to foster social participation in older adults.