Our home has two communal robotic dogs and one robotic cat and our residents enjoy the calming effects of stroking the ‘animals’.

The life-size pets include a sensor which allows them to move in response to our residents’ voices, and the cats purr and meow and just like real cats.

For nursing resident Richard Rogers, 71, known as Kev, the robotic pets bring a lot of happiness to his daily life.

“Kev is bed bound so it’s really nice to be able to sit the robotic animals on his bed with him, they bring him a lot of comfort,” says his wife Bev Rogers, “he does joke about them not being real, but he’ll still strokes them and it’s very therapeutic for him.”

Ruth Hoult our activities coordinator has seen the special bond that residents form with the robotic pets and the benefits they bring. She explains;

“Most of our residents here at the home live with dementia and we’ve found over the years that animals promote a very calm and relaxing atmosphere.

“These robotic pets are a lovely substitute for the pet therapy animals and they have a very positive impact on our residents’ day-to-day wellbeing. They bring a lot of happiness to our home.”

Pet therapy has been proven to have many long-term health and wellbeing benefits for older people, such as reducing anxiety and helping to lift their mood.

Another benefit of the robotic pets, particularly for people who are living with dementia, is that they are less likely to behave unpredictably, allowing people to relax. They provide company and residents can enjoy a sense of independence in ‘taking care’ of the animals as if they were their own pets.

Resident Patricia Clegg, age 88, was bought a robotic cat for her birthday by her daughter Louise Forsyth and she named him Toby. Ruth says, “Patricia really loves Toby, when he’s with her he calms her and she holds him almost like a baby, she’s very nurturing with him.”

Our care home manager Dania Meadows says,

“The main thing for residents is stimulation and the robotic pets help hugely with this. They help to keep their minds focused. Like real pets, they can be stroked, cuddled and pampered. Many of the residents talk to the dogs and cats and take responsibility for them, which helps them to feel a sense of ownership and purpose.”

“We all love our robotic dogs and cats and better still they are very easy to look after!”