Comparison of the Effect of Human Interaction, Animal-Assisted Therapy, and AIBO-Assisted Therapy on Long-Term Care Residents with Dementia

The number of elderly people in the United States is projected to more than double to 80 million by the year 2050, which will likely result in an increased incidence of dementia. Although AAT programs have been instituted as therapeutic activities for residents of long-term care facilities, there is little research documenting their effectiveness, especially in patients with dementia, who have difficulty maintaining contact with the external world. In addition, some long-term care facilities may be reluctant to include AAT in their facilities due to concerns about infection, injury, animal care, or cleanliness. The use of Sony's computerized, or robotic, “pet” called AIBO, may be a means of stimulating social interaction in residents with dementia without the drawbacks associated with live animal visitation. This study compares the effects of visitation by a person, a person accompanied by a live dog, and a person accompanied by an AIBO, on behavioral indicators of social interaction among female nursing home residents with dementia. All three types of visits stimulated residents to initiate conversation, touches, and looks at other individuals (human, dog, and AIBO) and provided contacts with the outside world. Both the live dog and AIBO stimulated resident social interaction beyond that stimulated by the visitor alone. The AIBO induced longer looks and more resident-initiated conversation than the live dog and provided a positive source of social interaction. While all three types of visits stimulated nursing home resident social interaction, the success of the robotic dog in stimulating social interaction by dementia residents suggests that it may provide a viable alternative to live animal visitations.