For many people, pets bring comfort, connection and joy – and the same can be true even when the animal isn’t real. Robotic cats and dogs are being used to enhance the care of people with dementia at Amica Senior Lifestyles homes across the country, including Amica Dundas, where Sarah St. Pierre is the life enrichment co-ordinator in assisted living and memory care. “It’s magical,” St. Pierre says of the connection residents can have with the pets. “Sometimes they’ll look right in the eyes of the cat especially, and just hold on to their paw and start petting them.” The robotic pets are interactive and respond to touch. They make sounds, blink and roll over, and you can feel and hear a heart beat. The pets are typically used one-on-one with residents who show interest in them. They can be particularly comforting to people who have had their own dog or cat in the past. “It calms people. You can see someone’s caring instinct just takes over and wants to take care of the pet and comfort them, bring them close to you,” says St. Pierre. Carrie McAiney, an associate professor at the University of Waterloo’s School of Health Sciences and Schlegel Research Chair in dementia, says pets bring unconditional love and safety. For people with dementia who are living in a care setting, McAiney says pets – even robotic ones – can help with feelings of isolation. “Having pets is something that can bring them joy, and happiness and safety and bring back memories of maybe their own pets or pets that they had in their lives through other people.” McAiney says more research does need to be done on the benefits of robotic pets, and offers one caution: they can’t replace human contact and connection with real people. Robotic pets can be easily ordered online, and the only maintenance required is battery replacement. St. Pierre says the pets are special and she’s seen how much joy they can bring, as well as in some cases, improved communication. “Meaningful moments are so important,” St. Pierre says. “In a day, to get those little meaningful moments, I feel like I’ve done my job.”
