Robotic Pets Comfort Dementia Patients

Robotic pets are providing comfort and companionship to dementia patients at a nursing home in Pennsylvania, WYFF4 reported from Lancaster, and the staff said they are seeing positive results since replacing real animals with interactive fake cats and dogs.

Residents of Conestoga View Nursing and Rehab Center had engaged in pet therapy programs before, but the logistics of keeping live pets at the facility made it difficult to keep the program going.

Cue the Joy for All robotic pets, which the Lancaster Lions Club donated to the nursing home.

Researchers have been touting animals as a positive form of therapy for patients with dementia.

Earlier this year, one study found that pet therapy was directly linked to improved “behaviors, physical activity, and dietary intake in dementia patients and a positive effect on agitation/aggression and quality of life.”

Jamaica Hospital in New York City has been using robotic pets as therapy among senior citizens and has noted increased cognition levels, while also reporting fewer feelings of loneliness and depression among their patients.

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