**3. Conclusion**

The chapter has defined the acceptability of social robots and discussed how acceptability can be understood and predicted as conceptualized by theoretical models of acceptability. It has discussed factors that impact the acceptability of social robots by OA and people with dementia and made recommendations as to how acceptability may be increased. It has been argued that current acceptance models for social robots need further development to accommodate the needs of OA and people with dementia who experience physical and cognitive disability. Models of gerontechnology may be useful to identify the needs and characteristics of OA and people with dementia that are pertinent to robot acceptability. Models need further development and testing to ensure they can fully inform both the acceptability evaluations of autonomous embodied social robots.

The multiple interacting factors that impact robot acceptance at the individual, community and societal levels have been discussed. It is vitally important that robots are useful, enjoyable to use, easy to use and that they support the personhood and strengths of OA and people with dementia. Enjoyable social interaction requires robots to have good quality humanlike communication skills. It would enhance the acceptability of robots if future design, development, and deployment of robots are underpinned by strength-based theories. This would ensure that processes are driven by the motivations and goals of OA and people with dementia. It is also important that the context surrounding robot deployment is assessed in-depth using longitudinal designs and that all aspects of their development are guided by potential users, significant others and health, and social care stakeholders.
