MONROE — On a recent visit to Pleasant View Nursing Home, Pam Pittz found her mother sound asleep, nuzzled up to her “puppy,” Toto.
As she approached to snap a photo with her phone, the sound of her shoes activated Toto, causing him to bark and wake her mother, Wanda Blum.
“He’s special,” Blum said while lying next to Toto. “And he knows it.”
Toto is one of Pleasant View’s three Joy For All Companion Pets, robotic pets designed by Hasbro specifically for those who suffer from dementia. The pets react to sound and touch. The robotic dog barks and wags his tail and the cats purr and meow.
The “cats” cost around $100 and the “puppy” slightly higher at a cost of $120.
Pleasant View’s Licensed Clinical Social Worker Suzanne Koch said they received Toto for free just for ordering supplies online during a special deal. Koch decided to try it out with a few of the residents.
One of our staff members said she almost broke into tears when one of the residents saw one of the animals for the first time. So she talked to some the other staff and they raised money for a third pet.Suzanne Koch, Pleasant View’s Licensed Clinical Social Worker
“We were blown away,” Koch said.
Koch realized the company also makes cats. With staff donations, which were not mandatory, they purchased a cat the residents have named Trudy.
“One of our staff members said she almost broke into tears when one of the residents saw one of the animals for the first time,” Koch said. “So she talked to some the other staff and they raised money for a third pet.”
There are four units at Pleasant View — one is for physical therapy and the other three are long-term residency areas. Koch said their goal is to eventually raise enough money so each of the long-term units have a dog and a cat companion pet. The facility is currently accepting donations.
The residents get to spend time with the pets in shifts and if no one has one, they know where they can find them.
Koch said residents with dementia tend to gravitate toward the pets the most. Some of the families were surprised to see the connection made with residents, since they had never before liked pets.
Connecting with the pets can also be helpful with residents who are “sundowning,” a symptom associated with Alzheimer’s or dementia where people can become confused and agitated in the late afternoon or early evening.
Koch said some of the staff decided to put Toto next to a non-verbal resident in a wheelchair. The resident petted him and Toto responded with a bark and wagged his tail; the resident started laughing.
“We couldn’t believe it,” Koch said.
She said it still makes him laugh.
When Koch gave Toto to Blum for the first time, her face lit up. Pittz said Blum has always had dogs and Toto seems to have a calming effect on her.
“She just had me tuck it right next to her and her face had to be touching his face,” Koch said. “It’s just comfort. For some, it gives them purpose.”
