Media Thread, page-1662

My mum’s dementia is advanced but a robodog made her happier
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/conditions/dementia/dementia-robodog/

Clare Steward, the programme director for Digitising Social Care, is the driving force behind the initiative in Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, an area with a higher diagnosis rate for dementia than the England average. “We’re very aware that depression, loneliness and dementia are real challenges for our ageing population and are keen to invest in solutions that help improve quality of life and reduce pressure on care services. We conducted a horizon scan of digital technology to support people with dementia which identified 13 innovations, and worked with local care providers to agree which two schemes would most benefit our residents and providers,” she explains. And so came the introduction of robot pets – alongside PainChek, a tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to recognise small changes in facial expressions and voice to quantify a pain score, supporting those who are unable to reliably verbalise pain.

Steward hopes there will be further benefits on top of improving patient wellbeing. “We anticipate that introducing robo pets and PainChek into care settings will free up staff’s time to engage with residents and improve job satisfaction which in turn will improve staff retention. Family members will have more peace of mind that their loved ones are receiving person-centred, high-quality care, strengthening relationships between families and staff.”