MEMORY CARE
Senior Living Welcomes New Breed of Pets With Next Generation Technology
make unwanted noises or messes or require feeding. And, for older adults seeking the comfort of pet companionship or perhaps experiencing cognitive impairments, these robots help improve their quality of life. Paro, a robotic seal, was developed by
M
Japanese industrial automation pioneer AIST. The seal is the eighth generation of a design used in Japan and Europe since 2003. Closely resembling a baby harp seal, Paro is covered in soft artificial fur and has a routine, just like a real animal – active during the day and sleepy at night. “With Paro therapy currently in many
Legend communities and plans to expand the program, we are already seeing a tre- mendous impact on the quality of life of residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other dementias,” said CEO Tim Buchan- an. “Used in conjunction with our parallel programming, a 20-minute treatment session can have continued therapeutic effects that last for up to five hours. While the disease cannot be reversed, some of the behaviors can be. “One resident who rarely spoke has
become more verbal, talking and sharing about her grandchildren. One gentleman, who was known to be highly anti-social, rarely coming out of his apartment, is now considerably more social and has even taken the Paro seal for walks around the commu- nity. We view this therapy as a way to evolve and adapt new models of care, particularly those that are less dependent on expensive medications.” The seal has built-in intelligence provid-
ing psychological, physiological and social effects through physical interaction with humans. Inside are two 32-bit CPUs, which can process voice recognition and imitate
48 SENIOR LIVING EXECUTIVE / JULY/AUGUST 2016
eet the new generation of ther- apy animals: a robotic seal and cat. These pets don’t shed, claw,
animal behavior, enabling Paro to develop its own character. The seal has five different types of sensors over its body allowing it to perceive people and the environment - and respond to touch, light, sound, temperature and posture. According to research, the seal robot re-
duces resident stress, stimulates interaction between patient and caregivers, improves socialization and improves brain function in people with cognitive disorders. At Legend’s free-standing memory care
community in Oklahoma City, Legend Memory Care, “Molly” already has brought positive change. “We recently had a resident move in with
us who was non-verbal, kept her eyes closed, and held her arms in close, almost con- tracted,” said Residence Director Heather Xoquic. “We were told by the family that she enjoyed music, but do not expect for
her to respond. It was obvious that she had very little stimulation prior to moving in with us. About a week after she moved in, we introduced Molly. For the first time in a long time, she opened her eyes and spoke. Slowly, we watched her relax her arms and embrace Molly. Since working with Molly, this resident has opened up in a way she had not for over a year. While she is in the end stage of her disease process, she has now found a way to communicate.” Hasbro has developed a robotic cat.
Like Paro, Hasbro’s Joy for All companion pets look, feel and sound like the real thing thanks to built-in sensors that respond to motion and touch, realistic, soft fur and cat- like movements and sounds. For many older adults living in environments not conducive to keeping a real animal, these robotic ani- mals are proving to be the next best thing.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
