Robotic Dogs Helping People With Alzheimer's And Dementia By Providing Comfort

Dec 29, 2019 by apost team

As the saying goes, dogs are a man’s best friend. They’re cuddly, they can make you feel good after a long day, and they can even fetch your slippers when necessary.

Dogs are also great companions for mental and physical disabilities. Lots of people today have what are known as support animals that accompany them everywhere. Some support animals have even be seen in school yearbooks with the students they assist.

For people with dementia, support animals are not always positive. While they can be beneficial for the person suffering from this illness, the people around them can be negatively impacted.

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Tom Stevens, the son of a woman suffering with Alzheimer’s disease, had to get rid of her dog because the dog began to get aggressive towards her caregiver. According to Reuters, although she was devastated, Tom had to find a family to give the 2-year-old Goldendoodle away to.

Forced to find an alternative method of companionship for his mother, Tom began to look at technological options, but he told Reuters that he “Didn’t find anything that she liked or would respond to, so started wondering whether technology might be able to play a role.” Unable to find an alternative, Stevens took matters into his own hands and created one.

Stevens created the prototype for Tombot, which is a robotic dog that gives a realistic reaction to speech, touch, and can wag its tail. Stevens’ product was advertised on a Kickstarter campaign that discusses how Tombot helps improve the lifestyle of people with health issues. The robot can help meet social and emotional needs when a real animal is not an option.

Tombot is a great way to provide companionship and calm anxiety the way a support dog does, without the feeding, pooper scooper, and howling when the doorbell rings. This is also a great alternative for dementia patients who find it a struggle to have pets in their homes. These robotic support animals also minimize the need for prescription drugs.

"Studies show that robotic animal companions can reduce the need for psychotropic and antipsychotic meds by helping to reduce dementia behaviors," Steven told Forbes.

If you or anyone you know has dementia and could use a support animal but can not accommodate a real dog, this could be helpful. Pass this article along to spread the news.