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BACKGROUND Dementia causes a progressive loss of brain function which is often associated with a significant decline in autonomy to carry out activities of daily living, which can lead to functional impairments. Thanks to the current technological advances, resources aimed at cognitive stimulation have emerged. The importance of social robots is given by the ease with which they can promote interaction with the elder adults and the development of cognitive stimulation activities. OBJECTIVE The objectives of the present study were to assess the acceptability and level of interaction of the EBO social-care robot in day centre patients and to analyse whether the systematic viewing of the videos proposed in this study is a suitable tool for assessing the acceptability and interaction of the participants (day centre users) and the EBO robot of the Robolab laboratory. METHODS This study is a descriptive observational pilot study conducted on users of the AZTIDE social and health centre in Cáceres, Extremadura (Spain) who were beneficiaries of the cognitive therapy provided in the occupational therapy service. The inclusion criteria were women and men over 56 years old with a Minimental State Examination (MMSE) equal or over 21 (mild to moderate cognitive impairment). The "robot-participant" interactions took place in two individual interventions, lasting 10-15 min each, for each participant. The interactions replicated the Wizard of Oz technique where the human teleoperator acts as a robot without this being perceived by the elderly person. For this purpose, a user interface was displayed on the teleoperator's terminal and the commands were reproduced by the EBO robot. EBO is a robotic platform consisting of the following hardware for the experiment in question: display capable of generating emotions, RGB (red, green, blue) camera and basic navigation system. RESULTS A total of 6 users participated in the study. During the conversation between the participants and the EBO robot, eye contact was in all cases and in both interactions 100%, the attention paid by the participants to the robot is 10 out of 10 in 83.3%. All participants felt comfortable and calmed during the conversations (9 and 10 points out of 10). The values good and excellent were what the participants considered as regards conversational factors such as attentiveness, naturalness, meaningful conversation and feeling comfortable during both interactions with the EBO robot. CONCLUSIONS There was a high acceptability and level of interaction of the EBO social-care robot with the patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment attending the day centre. Our results suggest that the systematic viewing of the videos proposed in this study provided enough data regarding the user-robot interaction for assessing the acceptability and interaction of the participants (day centre users) and the EBO robot of the Robolab laboratory. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov registration identifier: NCT04896333

Background: Burns are mild or severe lesions produced in living tissue, due to the action of different agents. This pathology is considered the third cause of accidental death in the world by the World Health Organization. Among the most disabling sequelae in these patients, pain and range of motion have the greatest impact. A recommended tool to complement the treatment or management of the symptoms associated with burns is virtual reality. Objective: The objective of this study was to analyse the effectiveness of virtual-reality therapy for pain relief and the improvement of the range of joint movement in patients who have suffered burns. Methodology: This study is a systematic review conducted following the PRISMA statements. An electronic literature search was performed in the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane, Dialnet, Scopus and Science Direct. The inclusion criteria were: participants with burns in any part of the body, interventions with virtual reality with or without complementary treatment, studies in both Spanish and English, and outcome measures of pain and range of motion. Results: Finally, 10 studies were included in the review. The sample consisted of one pilot study, three randomized controlled clinical trials, one prospective randomized controlled clinical trial, one control group and treatment group trial, one interventional clinical trial and three comparative studies. The most commonly used assessment tools for pain were the graphic rating scale (GRS) and for range of motion the goniometer. The use of virtual-reality games significantly reduced pain scores during physiotherapy and occupational therapy treatments as well as in nursing care. The range of motion improved significantly during virtual-reality exercises performed during a physiotherapy treatment in 33% of studies included in this review. Conclusion: The results of the studies analysed in this systematic review suggest that the use of virtual reality for the management of pain and range of movement limitations associated with burn injuries could control these symptoms and decrease their negative consequences on the person.

An in-depth review is presented the possible benefits of music therapy in relation to the cognitive and/or behavioural level of elderly patients with dementia. We have carried out a systematic review of randomized controlled trials, case-control and pilot studies published from January 2000 to January 2012 using the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, Dialnet and CSIC. We focused on comparison of music therapy as non-pharmacological therapy, in patients over 65 years of age with moderate dementia, with regular therapeutic and occupational treatment. Ten articles were selected based on the inclusion criteria. The analysis of the results suggest that music Therapy influences the elderly people with dementia in a positive way by improving levels of behavioural and cognitive functioning and social participation.