{"id":398017,"date":"2026-01-09T09:13:18","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:13:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/398017\/"},"modified":"2026-01-09T09:13:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T09:13:18","slug":"a-therapy-tool-for-memory-care-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/398017\/","title":{"rendered":"A Therapy Tool for Memory Care Patients"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve seen several robots at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), some cute and cuddly, others not so much. At first glance, a little yellow robot dog didn\u2019t seem particularly exciting or life-changing. But when I saw Jennie<\/a>, the electronic emotional support animal designed by TomBot and one of CNET\u2019s \u201cBest of CES\u201d<\/a> winners,\u00a0interact with seniors in real time, I changed my mind.<\/p>\n

Witnessing the Instant Connection Between Seniors and Jennie<\/p>\n

As part of its CES debut, Jennie went on a field trip to a local senior center to visit the residents in the memory care unit. The group of seniors, sitting around a table, didn\u2019t look particularly engaged in anything. When Jennie was introduced, the energy in the room shifted.<\/p>\n

Residents were happy to pet and talk to it. One resident asked repeatedly if she could keep the robot dog. \u201cI have to have her,\u201d she said. Another said, \u201cI think she\u2019s beautiful,\u201d while holding Jennie on her lap.<\/p>\n

For some, the robot dog brought back memories of beloved pets from their past. It was touching to listen to people recall the joy their real animals once brought them as they cuddled Jennie.<\/p>\n

The most touching interaction I observed was the woman who teared up as she hugged and kissed Jennie and said, \u201cI miss my baby,\u201d referring to a pet that was no longer with her.<\/p>\n

I was lucky enough to see Jennie next to an actual canine visiting the facility, and even asked if they could meet. The real dog sniffed Jennie and gave an approving tail wag. The residents were excited to see both, but the real dog hopped down and went on its merry way, while Jennie stuck around to be snuggled.<\/p>\n

Jennie Is More Than Just a High-Tech Toy<\/p>\n

Unlike many of the other robots I saw at CES, Jennie is designed for seniors with dementia. The company\u2019s founder and CEO, Tom Stevens, says the idea to create the robotic lapdog came from his mother, who had to give up her real dog after being diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cJennie is designed to treat the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,\u201d says Stevens, \u201cso things like loneliness, anxiety, depression, and delirium. And in my mother’s case, hallucinations, anger, and to reduce their need for certain medications, including psychotropic medications.\u201d<\/p>\n

Using comfort objects to help people with dementia isn\u2019t new. Research has shown promise for nonrobotic doll therapy in helping people with dementia ease emotional symptoms, such as irritability.<\/p>\n

[1]<\/p>\n

There are also potential benefits<\/a> to using robotic animals.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/p>\n

Navigating the Cost of Realistic Emotional Support<\/p>\n

According to Stevens, many of the lower-priced robotic animals on the market are modeled after children\u2019s toys and rebranded for seniors, so they aren\u2019t sophisticated enough to hold someone\u2019s interest over time. More realistic robots are at much higher price points, which usually makes them less accessible for most people or care facilities. Jennie comes in at $1,500.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe set out to develop a better emotional attachment object, one that people could afford,\u201d said Stevens. His company is also working to secure approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a medical device and to put healthcare reimbursement in place.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve seen several robots at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), some cute and cuddly, others not so much.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398018,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,392],"class_list":{"0":"post-398017","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-healthcare"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=398017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/398017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=398017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=398017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=398017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}