MARIO project: Validation in the hospital setting

In the EU funded MARIO project, specific technological tools are adopted for the patient with dementia (PWD). In the final stage of the project, two trials were completed as shown below: first trial was performed in September 2017, and second trial was performed in October 2017. The implemented and assessed applications (apps) are My Music app, My News app, My Games app, My Calendar app, My Family and Friends app, and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) app. The aim of the present study was to assess the acceptability and efficacy of MARIO companion robot on clinical, cognitive, neuropsychiatric, affective and social aspects, resilience capacity, quality of life in PWD, and burden level of the caregivers. Twenty patients (M = 8; F = 12) were screened for eligibility and all were included. In Pre-and Post-MARIO interaction, the following tests were administered: Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Clock Drawing Test (CDT), Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), 14-item Resilience Scale (RS-14), Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease (QOL-AD), Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), Tinetti Balance Assessment (TBA), and Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) was carried out. A questionnaire based on the Almere Acceptance model was used to evaluate the acceptance of the MARIO robot. In Post-MARIO interaction, significant improvements were observed in the following parameters: MMSE (p = 0.023), NPI (p < 0.0001), CSDD (p = 0.010), RS-14 (p < 0.0001), QoL-AD patients (p = 0.040), CBI (p = 0.040), SPMSQ (p = 0.040), and MNA (p = 0.010). The Almere Model Questionnaire presented a higher acceptance level in first and second trial.