Research on robot animals in elderly care

SBU's response

SBU has published a commentary on the significance of robot animals for the health and wellbeing of older adults with dementia in residential care, based on an international systematic review of 19 studies (15 of which concerned the robot seal Paro, plus studies on Aibo, CuDDler, NeCoRo and JustoCat). Conclusion: robot animals can be positive for health and wellbeing, but not everyone has a positive experience of them.

Sofia Thunberg's dissertation (2024)

In the dissertation "Companion robots for older adults: analyzing implementations in care homes," Sofia Thunberg, Linköping University, studies how companion robots are received by municipal decision-makers, care staff and older adults through nine studies using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The conclusion is that companion robots appear to be here to stay and can contribute to higher quality of life for some older adults — but that structured, individually adapted implementation is crucial.

More Swedish research sources

• Marcus Persson, David Redmalm & Clara Iversen have published several studies on robot cats in dementia care, including "Robot cats and white lies in dementia care" (Äldre i Centrum) and articles in international journals.
• Katarina Jakobsson, Karolinska Institutet (2023): "Implementation of robot animals in residential care for people with cognitive impairment/dementia."
• Sveriges Radio: "Robot pets move into Gotland's nursing homes — sociologist positive."
• TV4: "Robot cats can help people with dementia in care homes," with filmed coverage of deliveries to Örkelljunga.

Sources: SBU's commentary (sbu.se), Sofia Thunberg's dissertation, Linköping University, and the referenced research articles above.