Benefits of Affordable Robotic Pet Ownership in Older Adults With Dementia

The current study investigated the impact of affordable robotic pet ownership on agitation, quality of life, and depression in older adults with dementia. Data are reported for five adults with dementia receiving day services at an all-inclusive care center for older adults (one male; mean age = 82.8 years). Data were collected three times to obtain baseline (Time 1 to Time 2) and post-intervention (Time 2 to Time 3) scores. Self-reported quality of life and depression symptoms improved post-intervention, but not during baseline. Caregiver-reported agitation did not change consistently across participants during baseline or post-intervention. Simple ownership of affordable robotic pets may be a feasible option to improve quality of life and affective experiences in individuals with dementia. Further work with larger samples should examine whether a combination of ownership and structured activity would produce changes more perceptible to caregivers.