Posted on 12/26/2018 9:16:12 AM PST by bgill
Most afternoons, you'll find 81-year-old Tom Clark snoozing with his pet cat, Aspen, on his lap. However, this cat doesn't need to be fed or let outside. Aspen, the name of a cat he once had, isn't real, but he just loves it. Aspen is a robotic cat with artificial intelligence built in, designed to do normal cat stuff like stretch, purr and roll on its back. "Sometimes, they'll even ignore you the way a cat might, typically," explains psychologist Dr. Caitlin Holly. She started using these robotic pets about two months ago with dementia patients at Albany, New York's Stratton VA Medical Center Nursing Home. "The idea is that it's a non-pharmacological intervention that can help with anxiety, it can help with agitation, restlessness," Holly notes.
(Excerpt) Read more at kxan.com ...
Why not use a real cat? They’re a dime a dozen.
AI cats, cell phones, sex robots and self driving cars.
Life is so full.
“Why not use a real cat? They’re a dime a dozen.”
—
I take it you’ve never been a cat owner. If you can train one to follow orders, more power to ya!
:D
as much as I can appreciate your astute observation, Ol tom is still getting round the clock care. and sometimes human interaction with a dementia patient can be hazardous to ones well being. if a mechanical cat or a block of wood calms him down , well, so be it. hes not always in his right mind anyway. and real cats poop, shed, scratch and some people have severe allergies to animals
read a story awhile ago that redecorating a home or room to a style the person grew up with helps calm dementia patients down a lot, and helps them get interested in doing things, like puzzles, crafts, piano etc- something about retro period decorating makes them feel more at ease-
I read about this place over the weekend:
https://www.curbed.com/2018/9/20/17882054/alzheimers-center-town-square-dementia-glenner
Seems to be the same strategy.
The robotic cat seems to be a good idea, if it provides comfort, IMHO. But I can’t imagine they can create a robotic one that can replicate the ATTITUDE (or, sometimes, affection) that my precious cat has.
Poo, diseases, biting, scratching, furniture destruction, yeah those dimes add up REAL quick!!!!!
Simpsons did it first when Bart and Martin Prince designed the baby seal robots for the nursing home.
Good idea. It’s something they remember and are comfortable with.
This is how Skynet takes over - the Robo Kill-A-Tronmatic or KAT.
Personally, I'd rather have a fresh Popeyes Emotional Support Chicken each day, myself.
I have two elderly relatives living in a senior facility. They both have cognitive-decline/dementia problems. The facility had a real cat living there for a while and was popular with the residents but it eventually passed away. When this cat was there, they had to feed it and also clean the cat litter box, etc. The staff has enough to do, believe me. Pet dogs are brought in to visit with the residents by community members, so that is nice for the residents.
People with dementia and memory loss can get very agitated - they are confused, and also show a lot of OC behavior. Anything like this should be tried, IMO, to improve quality of life for elderly people. One of my relatives in her 80's love stuffed animals so I bring one with me when I visit. A robot cat would simply amount to an "animated" stuff toy.
Old folks and homeless cats.
They could take care of each other.
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