{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,1]],"date-time":"2026-08-01T00:43:53Z","timestamp":1785545033097,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"JMIR Publications Inc.","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JMIR Res Protoc"],"abstract":"Abstract<\/jats:title>\n \n Background<\/jats:title>\n Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are increasingly positioned as a response to social isolation, loneliness, and unmet psychosocial needs across health and care contexts. Non-embodied AI-based digital companions have attracted growing attention for their potential to support companionship, social interaction, communication, and psychosocial well-being among older adults, including people living with dementia. However, the evidence base remains underexplored. Terminology is inconsistently applied, systems are variably defined, and studies are distributed across disciplinary silos, limiting critical investigation of how these technologies are conceptualized, designed, and evaluated.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Objective<\/jats:title>\n This study aims to map and critically synthesize the existing literature on non-embodied AI-based digital companions for older adults in aging, health, and care contexts. The review seeks to describe digital companions, examine methodological approaches, and identify research gaps.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n This protocol follows the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and will be reported in accordance with the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines). A comprehensive search will be conducted across multiple electronic databases, including MEDLINE, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, IEEE Xplore, and ACM Digital Library, as well as selected gray literature sources. The search strategy combined terms related to digital companions, conversational AI, aging, and care contexts, including concepts related to companionship, social interaction, communication, loneliness, and psychosocial support.<\/jats:p>\n Eligible studies will include empirical studies involving older adults that examine non-embodied AI-based digital companions designed primarily to support companionship, social interaction, communication, or related psychosocial support in aging, health, and care contexts. Two reviewers (YC and MG) will independently conduct study selection and data charting. Data will be synthesized using descriptive statistics and narrative analysis.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n This protocol outlines a systematic approach to identifying, selecting, and synthesizing the existing evidence on non-embodied AI-based digital companions. A preliminary PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)-style search flow for the revised database searches identified 2289 records from MEDLINE, CINAHL, and APA PsycINFO. After duplicate removal and eligibility-based removals before screening, 1978 records remained available for title and abstract screening. The full scoping review will summarize study characteristics, populations, contexts, digital companion features, and methodological trends using descriptive tables and narrative synthesis. As of June 2026, the revised database searches had been completed for MEDLINE, CINAHL, and APA PsycINFO, and title and abstract screening was underway. The full scoping review results are expected to be submitted for publication after screening, data charting, and synthesis are completed.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n This scoping review is expected to clarify conceptual boundaries, map the scope of current research, and identify knowledge gaps related to non-embodied AI-based digital companions in health, aging, and care contexts. The findings will inform future research, design, and implementation of non-embodied AI-based digital companions.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.2196\/93196","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T16:22:25Z","timestamp":1782318145000},"page":"e93196-e93196","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring Non-Embodied AI-Based Digital Companions for Older Adults in Aging and Care Contexts: Protocol for a Scoping Review"],"prefix":"10.2196","volume":"15","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7916-2939","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Lillian","family":"Hung","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2481-7977","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yi-ting","family":"Chiu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0001-2653-0494","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maral","family":"Ghodsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1010","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"R1","unstructured":"Ageing and health. World Health Organization. 2022. URL: https:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/ageing-and-health [Accessed 03-02-2026]"},{"issue":"11","key":"R2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1066","DOI":"10.1111\/imj.12572","article-title":"Dementia in older people: an update","volume":"44","author":"LoGiudice","journal-title":"Intern Med J"},{"key":"R3","unstructured":"Dementia facts & figures. Alzheimer\u2019s Disease International. URL: https:\/\/www.alzint.org\/about\/dementia-facts-figures\/ [Accessed 03-02-2026]"},{"issue":"1-2","key":"R4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"243","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2702.2011.03857.x","article-title":"Quality of care in Norwegian nursing homes - typology of family perceptions","volume":"21","author":"Vinsnes","journal-title":"J Clin Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"R5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-025-13433-x","article-title":"Shaping older adults\u2019 care policy: a scoping review of key determinants in post-acute and community reintegration transitions","volume":"25","author":"Sehatkarlangrodi","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"issue":"1","key":"R6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"107","DOI":"10.1093\/geronb\/gby037","article-title":"The epidemiology of social isolation: national health and aging trends study","volume":"75","author":"Cudjoe","journal-title":"J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci"},{"issue":"2","key":"R7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1192\/bjo.2024.865","article-title":"Prevalence of loneliness and social isolation among individuals with mild cognitive impairment or dementia: systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"11","author":"Hajek","journal-title":"BJPsych Open"},{"issue":"6","key":"R8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"533","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365-2648.1985.tb00544.x","article-title":"A study to determine what variables predict institutionalization of elderly people","volume":"10","author":"Brock","journal-title":"J Adv Nurs"},{"issue":"7-8","key":"R9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"618","DOI":"10.1177\/08982643211004174","article-title":"Social isolation among older adults in long-term care: a scoping review","volume":"33","author":"Boamah","journal-title":"J Aging Health"},{"issue":"5","key":"R10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"582","DOI":"10.1177\/0164027506289723","article-title":"A 6-Item scale for overall, emotional, and social loneliness: confirmatory tests on survey data","volume":"28","author":"Gierveld","journal-title":"Res Aging"},{"key":"R11","unstructured":"Peplau LA Perlman D , editors. Loneliness: A Sourcebook of Current Theory, Research and Therapy. Wiley; 1982. ISBN: 978-0-471-08028-2"},{"issue":"1","key":"R12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-025-05846-4","article-title":"Uncovering the impact of loneliness in ageing populations: a comprehensive scoping review","volume":"25","author":"Puyan\u00e9","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr"},{"key":"R13","unstructured":"Hollanek T Sobey A . AI companions for health and mental wellbeing: opportunities, risks and policy implications. Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence; 2025. [doi: 10.17863\/CAM.115939]"},{"key":"R14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Pradhan A Mehta K Findlater L . \"Accessibility came by accident\u201d: use of voice-controlled intelligent personal assistants by people with disabilities. Presented at: ACM CHI 2018 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; Apr 21-26, 2018:1-13; Montreal, QC, Canada. 2018.[doi: 10.1145\/3173574.3174033]","DOI":"10.1145\/3173574.3174033"},{"key":"R15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lim MY . Memory models for intelligent social companions. In: Zacarias M Oliveira JV , editors. Human-Computer Interaction: The Agency Perspective. Springer; 2012:241-262. [doi: 10.1007\/978-3-642-25691-2_10] ISBN: 978-3-642-25691-2","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-642-25691-2_10"},{"key":"R16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ciriello R Hannon O Chen AY Vaast E . Ethical tensions in human-AI companionship: a dialectical inquiry into replika. Presented at: Proceedings of the 57th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences; Jan 3-6, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii. 2024.[doi: 10.24251\/HICSS.2024.058]","DOI":"10.24251\/HICSS.2024.058"},{"key":"R17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Tsiourti C Quintas J Ben-Moussa M Hanke S Nijdam NA Konstantas D . The cameli framework\u2014a multimodal virtual companion for older adults. In: Bi Y Kapoor S Bhatia R , editors. Intelligent Systems and Applications. Springer International Publishing; 2018:196-217. [doi: 10.1007\/978-3-319-69266-1_10]","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-319-69266-1_10"},{"issue":"1","key":"R18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"62","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare12010062","article-title":"Qualitative analysis of conversational chatbots to alleviate loneliness in older adults as a strategy for emotional health","volume":"12","author":"Rodr\u00edguez-Mart\u00ednez","journal-title":"Healthcare (Basel)"},{"issue":"4","key":"R19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.7759\/cureus.57728","article-title":"AI-driven clinical decision support systems: an ongoing pursuit of potential","volume":"16","author":"Elhaddad","journal-title":"Cureus"},{"issue":"5","key":"R20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"530","DOI":"10.1016\/j.pmn.2025.04.003","article-title":"Interactive AI routines for pain symptoms and loneliness in older adults","volume":"26","author":"Shade","journal-title":"Pain Manag Nurs"},{"issue":"1","key":"R21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1367","DOI":"10.1177\/1071181320641327","article-title":"Digital home assistants and aging: initial perspectives from novice older adult users","volume":"64","author":"Blocker","journal-title":"Proc Hum Factors Ergon Soc Annu Meet"},{"issue":"1","key":"R22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12877-021-02436-y","article-title":"Digital personal assistants are smart ways for assistive technology to aid the health and wellbeing of patients and carers","volume":"21","author":"Balasubramanian","journal-title":"BMC Geriatr"},{"issue":"5","key":"R23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare13050446","article-title":"AI applications to reduce loneliness among older adults: a systematic review of effectiveness and technologies","volume":"13","author":"Yang","journal-title":"Healthcare (Basel)"},{"key":"R24","volume":"2016","author":"Demiris","journal-title":"AMIA Annu Symp Proc"},{"issue":"2","key":"R25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/geriatrics9020022","article-title":"Reducing loneliness and improving social support among older adults through different modalities of personal voice assistants","volume":"9","author":"Jones","journal-title":"Geriatrics (Basel)"},{"key":"R26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sun J Zhang Z Wang M et al. Chorus of the past: toward designing a multi-agent conversational reminiscence system with digital artifacts for older adults. Presented at: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems; Apr 26 to May 1, 2025:1-22; Yokohama Japan. Apr 26, 2025.[doi: 10.1145\/3706598.3713810]","DOI":"10.1145\/3706598.3713810"},{"key":"R27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijnurstu.2020.103847","article-title":"The effectiveness of reminiscence-based intervention on improving psychological well-being in cognitively intact older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"114","author":"Tam","journal-title":"Int J Nurs Stud"},{"key":"R28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Boiting M Tschorn N Suravee S et al. EDEM-CONNECT: an ontology-based chatbot for family caregivers of people with dementia. In: Cunha A Paiva A Pereira S , editors. Wireless Mobile Communication and Healthcare. Springer Nature Switzerland; 2024:73-91. [doi: 10.1007\/978-3-031-60665-6_6]","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-031-60665-6_6"},{"key":"R29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/63715","article-title":"The PDC30 chatbot\u2014development of a psychoeducational resource on dementia caregiving among family caregivers: mixed methods acceptability study","volume":"8","author":"Cheng","journal-title":"JMIR Aging"},{"key":"R30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2017.01687","article-title":"Older adults perceptions of technology and barriers to interacting with tablet computers: a focus group study","volume":"8","author":"Vaportzis","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"key":"R31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.archger.2020.104186","article-title":"The disruptive power of Artificial Intelligence. Ethical aspects of gerontechnology in elderly care","volume":"91","author":"Rubeis","journal-title":"Arch Gerontol Geriatr"},{"key":"#cr-split#-R32.1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"da Paixao Pinto N dos Santos Franca JB de Sa Sousa HP Vivacqua AS Garcia ACB . Conversational agents for elderly interaction. Presented at: 2021 IEEE 24th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design (CSCWD). May 5-7, 2021:IEEE. 1-6","DOI":"10.1109\/CSCWD49262.2021.9437883"},{"key":"#cr-split#-R32.2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Dalian, China. 2021.[doi: 10.1109\/CSCWD49262.2021.9437883]","DOI":"10.1109\/CSCWD49262.2021.9437883"},{"issue":"6","key":"R33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/25006","article-title":"Chatbots to support people with dementia and their caregivers: systematic review of functions and quality","volume":"23","author":"Ruggiano","journal-title":"J Med Internet Res"},{"issue":"2","key":"R34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2196\/32473","article-title":"Voice-enabled intelligent virtual agents for people with amnesia: systematic review","volume":"5","author":"Boumans","journal-title":"JMIR Aging"},{"issue":"3","key":"R35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"521","DOI":"10.1080\/17483107.2024.2397030","article-title":"Voice assistants\u2019 influence on loneliness in older adults: a systematic review","volume":"20","author":"Castro Mart\u00ednez","journal-title":"Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol"},{"issue":"2","key":"R36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"513","DOI":"10.3233\/JAD-220438","article-title":"Digital technologies to prevent social isolation and loneliness in dementia: a systematic review","volume":"90","author":"Rai","journal-title":"J Alzheimers Dis"},{"key":"R37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Huang Y Zhou Q Piper AM . Designing conversational AI for aging: a systematic review of older adults\u2019 perceptions and needs. Presented at: CHI 2025; Apr 26 to May 1, 2025:1-20; Yokohama Japan. Apr 26, 2025.[doi: 10.1145\/3706598.3713578]","DOI":"10.1145\/3706598.3713578"},{"issue":"4","key":"R38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cl2.1369","article-title":"Digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults: an evidence and gap map","volume":"19","author":"Welch","journal-title":"Campbell Syst Rev"},{"issue":"15","key":"R39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3696","DOI":"10.1080\/0144929X.2023.2286528","article-title":"Psychological insights into the research and practice of embodied conversational agents, chatbots and social assistive robots: a systematic meta-review","volume":"43","author":"Kiuchi","journal-title":"Behav Inf Technol"},{"issue":"3","key":"R40","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1059","DOI":"10.1080\/17483107.2022.2146768","article-title":"Dialogue agents for artificial intelligence-based conversational systems for cognitively disabled: a systematic review","volume":"19","author":"Huq","journal-title":"Disabil Rehabil Assist Technol"},{"key":"R41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Peters M Godfrey C McInerney P Munn Z Tricco A Khalil H . Scoping reviews. In: Aromataris E Lockwood C Porritt K Pilla B Jordan Z , editors. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis JBI. 2024. [doi: 10.46658\/JBIMES-24-09]","DOI":"10.46658\/JBIMES-24-09"},{"issue":"7","key":"R42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"467","DOI":"10.7326\/M18-0850","article-title":"PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation","volume":"169","author":"Tricco","journal-title":"Ann Intern Med"}],"container-title":["JMIR Research Protocols"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.researchprotocols.org\/2026\/1\/e93196","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,31]],"date-time":"2026-07-31T22:23:46Z","timestamp":1785536626000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.researchprotocols.org\/2026\/1\/e93196"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"references-count":43,"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.2196\/93196","relation":{},"ISSN":["1929-0748"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1929-0748","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]]},"article-number":"v15i11e93196"}}