Best Practice Guidance
Human Interaction with Technology in Dementia

Guidance

The design of some existing pet robots for people with dementia do not sufficiently consider their preferences. For example, while some pet robots are designed to resemble unfamiliar animals such as a dinosaur or seal, people with dementia seem to prefer more familiarly designed pets, such as domestic animals like cats and dogs. As little research has been done into pet robot design preferences of people with dementia further investigation is needed.

Explanation and Examples

One of the most researched and used pet robots in dementia care is PARO, a robotic baby harp seal. The developer of PARO anticipated that users are likely to be more accepting of PARO, since they are less likely to have experiences and expectations of a seal. However, Bradwell and colleagues found that older adults including people with dementia have expressed a preference for familiar animals such as cats and dogs. A qualitative study uncovered similar findings – Care providers in nursing homes expressed that residents with dementia may prefer and react better to familiar animals. In line with a person-centred approach to care, the use of pet robots should account for the preferences and needs of people with dementia. However, there is a lack of studies that have explicitly investigated such design preferences. More studies are necessary to bridge this gap.