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Published on 2024-09-21
‘Perrete’, the dog-shaped robot that improves the quality of life for people with Alzheimer’s, “gets to work” to enrich their memory and recollections.
The robot is part of the change in the care sector and non-pharmacological therapy with which the professionals at the Ballesol Mirasierra center in Madrid work. The center has 15 residents, most of whom have moderate to severe dementia.
In cases of severe cognitive decline or advanced Alzheimer’s, what they do is “maintain the quality of life and promote external stimulation and response to the environment,” described the psychologist at this residence, Alba San José.
Interaction with this robotic dog, designed to imitate the behavior and appearance of real dogs, both in look and touch, offers functionalities capable of improving the quality of life for elderly individuals.
Thus, ‘Perrete’ changed the life of resident Eugenio, according to professionals at the center. Additionally, Eugenio’s wife reported that, despite the disease, the companionship of the robotic dog has “benefits,” as “he is calmer and more relaxed, and although he has difficulty speaking, he interacts with both through petting and gestures of affection.”
METHODOLOGY
Equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI), the robotic dog’s multiple sensors allow it to respond to the people around it by expressing emotions through opening and closing its eyes, moving its head, or making sounds.
Similarly, professionals at the residence noted that this therapeutic activity is established to “work with people with severe cognitive decline, with probable or frequent agitation, wandering, motor system impairment, or aggressiveness, among other behaviors.”
Furthermore, the intervention using this methodology is carried out at the Ballesol Mirasierra residence in areas such as the emotional, with the channeling of affectivity and increased sense of well-being; the social area, increasing social interactions and the bond with the robot; the motor area, with movements of the trunk and upper limbs; and the cognitive area, enhancing the level of activity and attention capacity.
Additionally, San José emphasized that from the first week of therapy, it is possible to improve “aspects such as attention, perception, or memory.” On an emotional level, these issues are improved by “encouraging the expression of positive emotions or interaction with other users, and on a functional level, by promoting wandering and motor skills.”
At the same time, the center stated that promoting cognitive stimulation in a person with Alzheimer’s through robotherapy “is possible.”
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