People with Alzheimer's and dementia often suffer from anxiety and agitation. One of the most effective means of dealing with those symptoms is therapy animals. The problem for ALFs and memory care facilities, however, is the issues and liability which might arise from having live animals reside on premises.
A New York Times article on December 18th reviewed a successful effort in the Bronx to address the issues by use of cat robots, made by Hasbro and sold for around $99.00 each. The residents loved the robots, and treated them as live pets. The impact on the residents was real. One woman who was having a panic attack while searching for her long-deceased parents was given one of the robotic cats rather than a tranquilizer, and the woman immediately calmed down.
The fact that the residents might only intermittently realize that the cat is a robot is unimportant. The experiment showed that over time many residents developed strong bonds with their cat, which demonstrably improved their lives. And at the end of the day, isn't that one of the most important measurement of success for an ALF or memory care facility?
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