RoboPets Help People with Dementia
SALLY BURR and SAFFRON PHILLIPS
A mechanical pet project to help people with early-stage dementia has been launched in East Sussex. The County Council (ESCC) RoboPets scheme aims to support clients suffering with the early stages of the condition by giving them a robotic cat or dog which acts as a positive distraction and is designed to relieve anxiety.
Both types respond to touch in similar ways when placed on a lap: the robot cat will promptly meow, purr, stretch and change position in response to being stroked. Patients can feel the purr vibration on their legs and the cat is even programmed to initially ignore people in the same way as a real cat.
The first batch of RoboPets was delivered to 50 people with dementia living independently at home. The second round of 50 is open to any client with care needs who may benefit from the anxiety-relieving effect of the RoboPet; The ESCC Occupational Therapy team is delivering them to residential units and they also plan to identify and include other clients with learning disabilities.
As well as helping when a client becomes anxious, the automated pets provide companionship, which can ease the pressure felt by carers. They provide a talking point between clients and carers, encouraging a connection and aiding conversation.
Claire, a social prescriber who recently delivered a pet to a client, described the moment as “…very humbling and amazing to see the interaction with the pet. The client took it straight away, gave it a name, talked to the pet and stroked and brushed it. They were very happy interacting with the pet and thanked us for thinking of them.”
Maxine Rose, a Community Support Worker, said: “I delivered a dog today. The lady who received it was delighted and named her new pet and sat quietly stroking and talking to it.” In another example a digital trainer, Lex, reported good feedback from the launch in 2022 when a client scheduled for an operation initially refused it due to high anxiety. However, once introduced to a robocat, it gave such relief to their anxiety that they took ‘their cat’ to the hospital appointment and agreed to the operation.
Because RoboPets are designed with a sleep mode they can last up to a year before their AA batteries require replacement.
This one-year Being Digital pilot project was commissioned by the county council’s Adult Social Care team and is one of only three operating nationwide. In 2019, nearly 9,500 people in East Sussex were living with dementia and this is expected to rise to over 12,000 by 2025.
The project will be assessed in early in 2024 and ESCC will decide on the cost effectiveness of the scheme and the benefits of making RoboPets available throughout the county. This process is being informed by academic research, particularly from the USA where the ‘pets’ are more widely used.
The SpringerLink site reports that New York was the first state in the US to introduce RoboPets to isolated elderly clients: “The results showed that using pets to lower social isolation is highly successful for about 70% of pilot participants reporting a decrease in isolation after one year.”
For more information about dementia support in East Sussex: eastsussex.gov.uk/social-care/health-advice/mental-health/dementia-support-in-east-sussex Also: cryptopolitan.com/robotic-pets-bring-support-to-east-sussex
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