As of June 2018, around 280,000 people were using residential care facilities in Australia. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, men and women between the ages of 85 and 89 use aged care more than any other age group, closely followed by those between 90 and 94 years old.

1. Robotic Pets and How
They Help People with
Dementia
Sisu7

2. As of June 2018, around 280,000 people were using residential care facilities in Australia. According to
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, men and women between the ages of 85 and 89 use
aged care more than any other age group, closely followed by those between 90 and 94 years old.
For people in these age brackets, the residential facilities serve as their home and place of
companionship. However, most residents need aged care as they start to develop more serious illnesses
and slowly lose their mobility and ability to take care of themselves.
One of the most common conditions elderlies face is dementia. In Australian residential aged care
facilities, more than 50 per cent of residents have dementia. While no cure can stop its progression,
scientists and experts in the medical field continue to look for treatments that can temporarily improve
dementia’s symptoms.
Among the countless studies conducted to find ways to deal with dementia is Professor Wendy Moyle’s
look into using robot pets. In 2012, the Griffith University professor published a paper on her findings
that robot pets could improve the moods of people living with dementia. A year later, she received a
$1.5 million grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council to conduct a more thorough
study, which yielded positive results.

3. Mechanised Pets and Dementia
Professor Moyle’s research involved 415 aged care residents with dementia from 28 nursing homes in
Queensland. During the trials, they were given either a Paro—a Japan-made, $8000 companion robot
seal—with its robotics disabled, a fully-functioning robotic Paro or no toy at all.
According to Moyle, “People given the Paro enjoyed engaging with the robot. They talked to it and the
robot responded to them. Whereas the people who were given the non-robotic toy didn’t have as much
engagement.”
This suggests that the robotic elements in Paro prompted the positive responses from the aged care
residents rather than simply the cuddly toy.
While the robot pet toy is expensive and more useful for people in the early and middle stages of
dementia, the results of the study are still promising for the future of aged care residents living with
this debilitating condition.

4. Sources:
https://sisu7.com.au/
https://www.gen-agedcaredata.gov.au/Topics/People-using-aged-care
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/dementia-statistics
https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/smiles-all-round-as-robotic-pets-calm-and-
delight-people-living-with-dementia-20190917-p52s1o.html