The COVID-19 pandemic is spreading across the globe, and it could take years for society to fully recover. Personal protective equipment (PPE), various hygiene measures, and social distancing have been implemented to reduce “human to human” contact, which is an essential part of outbreak prevention. The pressure of the pandemic combined with decreased communication and social contact have taken a toll on the mental health of many individuals, especially with respect to anxiety and depression. Effective use of robots and technology as a substitute for—or in coordination with—traditional medicine could play a valuable role in reducing psychological distress now more than ever. This paper summarizes the results of a comprehensive review of clinical research on PARO, a therapeutic seal robot, which has been used extensively as a biofeedback medical device and socially assistive robot in the field of mental health. PARO has proven to be an effective and economical non-pharmacological intervention method for both mental and physical well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilization of PARO during these times has provided more data for consideration and has helped in mitigating the negative stigma surrounding using robots in therapeutic settings.

Objective: To (1) examine the potentiality of using the robot PARO to mediate care provided by the family and (2) identify problems when utilizing PARO in the home context. Methods: Family members of 7 households were asked to use PARO for at least three times per week, over 1 to 3 months. Research data, including standardized assessments, interviews, and observations, were collected at initial and subsequent monthly visits. Collected data were analyzed through descriptive statistics and inductive thematic content analysis. Results: Out of the seven participants, five responded positively to PARO, thereby achieving their goals of improving activity engagement, relaxation, a respite from supervision, and improved mood. A positive initial interaction with PARO showed continued interest to it. Participants were observed to communicate with caregivers and relate to PARO. Discussion: The application of PARO at home is possibly influenced by the persons’ initial level of interest toward PARO. It is crucial to perform careful observation and assessment before deciding to use PARO within the home context to support the life of older persons with dementia.

Rationale. Sedentary activities are perpetuated by aging and the COVID-19 pandemic. While demands for video games grow, few studies explored the potential of virtual reality (VR) games to promote sports engagement and health among young adults. Objective. To examine sports engagement and health changes of young adults when utilizing a VR sports game and investigate the relationship between sports engagement and health. Method. This study used a single-group design with 20 participants, aged 19–29 years, with no preexisting health conditions. The VR game “Sports Scramble” was used thrice within a span of one week. Outcomes sought include sports engagement and health, measured through the Sports Engagement Scale (SES) and Short Form 36 (SF-36), respectively. Results. A significant difference ( ) was found between the pre-posttest scores of the SES. Moreover, a positive trend was observed in terms of health with a significant difference ( ) between pre-posttest scores of the SF-36’s vitality dimension. There were positive correlations among the dedication and vigor subscales of the SES with the dimensions of health. Conclusion. This study showed the potential of VR sports games in positively influencing sports engagement and health among participants with the vigor and dedication positively influencing health. Future studies may involve the exploration of the effectiveness of VR to promote engagement and health through a randomized controlled trial with a longer timeframe and across various populations.

Assistive technology (AT) is often required to facilitate the performance of occupations and promote inclusion and reduction of dependency among persons with spinal cord injury (SCI). However, only 5-15% of individuals in developing countries have access to AT. This study is aimed at exploring the experience of Filipinos with SCI as they use AT and understand these from an occupational justice (OJ) perspective. This study utilised a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to explore the participants’ experiences with AT usage. Ten participants were recruited from a hospital and communities within Metro Manila, Philippines, and interviewed last January 2020. Hermeneutic analysis was done to interpret the shared meaning embedded within their experiences and was informed by an occupational justice perspective. Exploring the experience of the participants in using AT yielded four themes, namely, (1) engaging in occupations despite limited opportunities, (2) going to various locations amidst an inaccessible environment, (3) striving towards inclusion in spite of attitudinal barriers, and (4) securing needs in light of unfavourable life conditions. Filipinos with SCI deal with numerous structural and contextual factors in daily life. There has been partial enablement of OJ as they incorporate AT in their daily lives as occupational rights are far from being recognised and respected. In infusing an OJ perspective to understanding AT use, OT practitioners are bound to identify problems and courses of action that go beyond traditional service delivery.

In this aging society, support services for older adults through the social welfare system have been introduced in many countries; in Japan, the long-term care insurance (LTCI) system was introduced in 2000. This review examined research of the past 20 years to investigate the history of assistive devices and home modification services and discussed future directions for health professionals through a narrative review. We selected 86 Japanese papers and six English papers: a total of 92 papers were analyzed by three researchers. This review revealed that assistive devices and home modification services contributed to helping users and decreased caregiver burden. Many studies have shown the importance of appropriate and sufficient cooperation among professionals. However, some issues related to LTCI were identified such as the regulation of subsidies and little flexibility considering local area conditions. The effectiveness and issues of assistive devices and home modification services were shown, and adjustments were suggested for the system and professional education according to the changes in a social situation. In addition, systematic research seems to be a small number; hence, studies with reliable research methods and analyses are needed to show the effectiveness of services and examine intervention by professionals.

Occupational therapists (OTs) play a significant role in assistive technology (AT) services. The personal perspective of OTs could affect the provision of AT services. Understanding the relationship between the perspectives of OTs and the provision of AT services to older adult clients is crucial to this study. The study was conducted in the form of rapid narrative analysis. Seven articles of four categories were found and analyzed. The categories are perspective on practice, facilitators, barriers, and needs. OTs provide AT services to older adult clients as part of a person-centred care approach; however, limited follow-up care, timing, and awareness were cited as barriers to AT services delivery. Caregiver involvement is a potential factor for AT services delivery. Although, education and training on the use of the AT are required. It’s important to note that, there is no relevant data from low and middle-income countries.