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n a California senior care community, very special pets are helping residents keep their spirits up, fight anxiety and feel loved. Officials say these animals are therapeutic, low-maintenance and never get moody. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/Script EnglishCalifornia Nursing Homes Use Robotic Pets to Help the Elderly
Transcript/ScriptCalifornia Robot Therapy for Elderly
HEAD: California Nursing Homes Use Robotic Pets to Help the Elderly
PUBLISHED AT: Sunday, 01/23/2022 11:01 p.m.
BYLINE: Angelina Bagdasaryan
DATELINE: Stanton, California
VIDEOGRAPHER: Vazgen Varzhabetian
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original
SCRIPT EDITORS: KE, MAS
PLATFORMS: TV only
TRT: 2:15
VID APPROVED BY: KE
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[In a California senior care community, very special pets are helping residents keep their spirits up, fight anxiety and feel loved. Officials say these animals are therapeutic, low-maintenance and never get moody. Angelina Bagdasaryan has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.]]
((NARRATION))
For this retiree, a little robotic cat named Omby is more than just a funny tech pet.
((Mary, Retiree))
“She’s adorable, yes, yes!” [[Laughs]]
((NARRATION))
The Rowntree Gardens senior care community in California accommodates elderly people who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. So, these cute-looking robotic cats and dogs are more than just company. Officials say they are therapeutic and help retirees fight depression and anxiety.
((NATS)) ((Old lady laughs))
“They’re cute!”
((Patricia Perez, Rowntree Gardens Care Director))
“Our unit is a memory care, so we do use them for comfort. Some residents do have visual impairments, so the tactile stimulation is where they’re able to pet the animal and are able to distinguish that it is an animal… // New members coming in, new community members are having some anxiety, stress, it’s a hard time – they are changing their environment, and we’re able to give them something they are able to utilize to decrease the stress in a way that we don’t have to use medications.”
((NARRATION))
The pets look so realistic, some residents say it’s easy to forget they’re not real.
((Carmen, Retiree)
“He is a beauty! I love him! Woofy is his name. You like the name?”
((Libby Anderson, Director, Long-Term Ombudsman Program))
“Real animals have to be maintained, they have to be fed, you have to take them to the vet, you have to take them out to potty, you have to train them. And so, these are just an alternative that are still interactive.”
((NARRATION))
Orange County has purchased 200 such cats and dogs.
((Patricia Perez, Rowntree Gardens Care Director))
“It’s a home-like setting. A lot of us have animals at home – they bring us comfort, joy, we feel like we have someone there. So, I think that really does give them that other addition to make them feel like it’s home within Rowntree Gardens.”
((NARRATION))
Three times a week, the nursing home residents spend a few hours doing tactile therapy. Residents now have the option of spending time with their cats or dogs.
((For Angelina Bagdasaryan in Stanton, California, Anna Rice, VOA News))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 24, 2022 15:16 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
