ReviewFrontiers in public health2021
Voice-Activated Virtual Home Assistant Use and Social Isolation and Loneliness Among Older Adults: Mini Review.
Review in Frontiers in public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Reducing Loneliness and Social Isolation of Older Adults Through Voice Assistants: Literature Review and Bibliometric Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2024Pooled it
- Evaluating Older Adults' Engagement and Usability With AI-Driven Interventions: Randomized Pilot Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- Cognitive Reablement Using Digital Voice Assistants for People Living With Dementia or Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Co-Design Study.Health expectations : an international journal of public participation in health care and health policy · 2026Article
- Smart Speaker-Based Applications to Support Social Connectedness in Older Adult Residents in Affordable Housing: User-Centered Design Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Artificial Intelligence Empowers Physical Therapy for Older Adults: A Perspective.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Functional experiences of a LINE-based chatbot and their associations with system use experience among older adults: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- Navigating the future of artificial intelligence technologies for improving the care of older adults.Innovation in aging · 2025Article
- Voice-Based Remote Care Program for Vulnerable Older Adults in a Rural Community: Single-Arm Pilot Clinical Study.JMIR aging · 2025Article
- Understanding the Thoughts and Preferences for Technologies Designed to Detect Feelings of Loneliness: Interview Study Among Older Adults.JMIR human factors · 2025Article
- Engagement of Older Adults in the Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence Systems for Aging: A Scoping Review.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2025Article
- [Loneliness in times of global polycrises].Der Nervenarzt · 2024Review
- Developing Independent Living Support for Older Adults Using Internet of Things and AI-Based Systems: Co-Design Study.JMIR aging · 2024Article
- Virtual resonance: analyzing IPA usage intensity under COVID-19's isolating canopy.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- The Value of a Virtual Assistant to Improve Engagement in Computerized Cognitive Training at Home: Exploratory Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologies · 2024Article
- Smart Speaker and ICT Use in Relationship With Social Connectedness During the Pandemic: Loneliness and Social Isolation Found in Older Adults in Low-Income Housing.The Gerontologist · 2024Article
- Reducing Loneliness and Improving Social Support among Older Adults through Different Modalities of Personal Voice Assistants.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- The Impact of Interaction Time and Verbal Engagement with Personal Voice Assistants on Alleviating Loneliness among Older Adults: An Exploratory Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Using Voice-Activated Technologies to Enhance Well-Being of Older Adults in Long-Term Care Homes.Innovation in aging · 2024Article
- "Like another human being in the room": a community case study of smart speakers to reduce loneliness in the oldest-old.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
A lack of social connectedness is common among older adults due to living alone, loss of loved ones, reduced mobility, and, more recently, social distancing created by the global Covid-19 pandemic. Older adults are vulnerable to social isolation and loneliness, which pose significant health risks comparable to those of smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, and high blood pressure. A lack of social connectedness is also correlated with higher mortality rates even when controlling for other factors such as age and comorbid conditions. The purpose of this mini review was to explore the emerging concepts of older adults' use of commercially available artificial intelligent virtual home assistants (VHAs; e.g., Amazon Echo, Google Nest), and its relationship to social isolation and loneliness. A secondary purpose was to identify potential areas for further research. Results suggest that VHAs are perceived by many older adult users as "companions" and improve social connectedness and reduce loneliness. Available studies are exploratory and descriptive and have limited generalizability due to small sample sizes, however, similar results were reported across several studies conducted in differing countries. Privacy concerns and other ethical issues and costs associated with VHA use were identified as potential risks to older adults' VHA adoption and use. Older adults who were using VHAs expressed the need and desire for more structured training on device use. Future research with stronger methods, including prospective, longitudinal, and randomized study designs are needed. Public education, industry standards, and regulatory oversight is required to mitigate potential risks associated with VHA use.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.