Effect of a Robot Pet Companion on the Mood of Older Adults Receiving Family Caregiver Support: Pilot RCT

Use of companion robot pets to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older people is well-established. Outcomes associated with the pets are promising in residential care settings but less clear in home settings and among people who do not meet criteria for dementia. Also, low-cost devices, such as the Joy for All pets, may not be as effective.

Caregiver-older adult pairs (n = 50) in PA's Caregiver Support Program were recruited for a single-blind pilot randomized controlled trial, in which half received the Joy for All pet immediately and half at the end of the 4-week trial. We used a repeated-measures mixed model to compare differences in caregiver reports of the frequency of positive and negative affect (adapted PROMIS scales).

The groups were mostly balanced in sociodemographic features, caregiving involvement, and health. Half of the older adults in each arm had a dementia diagnosis. The gain in positive affect was 7.28 points (95% CI, 3.1-11.4) in the intervention arm (z = 3.43, p = 0.001) in a model adjusting for caregiver age, ADL caregiving, and dementia severity (model X2 = 39.1, df = 6, p <0.0001). Dementia severity was associated with lower positive affect. The groups did not differ in negative affect. Greater engagement with pets was associated with higher positive affect.

A low-cost, robot pet can improve positive affect in older people receiving family care. Caregivers reported that the robot pets were a topic of conversation and focus of social interaction with visitors, which in turn may improve mood. Thus, the pets should be considered an environmental stimulus as much as an interaction partner.