Paro the robotic seal brings joy to residents living with dementia at Elizabeth Lodge

A FLUFFY robotic seal called Paro is brightening the lives of residents with dementia at an eastern Sydney aged care village. Staff say residents respond to the little seal with joy and tenderness.

A ROBOTIC fluffy seal introduced at an aged care facility to provide therapy to people with dementia is proving a hit and bringing moments of joy and delight to residents and staff.

While staff at Elizabeth Lodge in Sydney’s Rushcutter’s Bay have other tools to help stimulate residents with dementia, the fluffy white seal called Paro is proving extremely popular.

The therapy seal is an interactive robot which responds to touch, sound, light and temperature and can even recognise its name.

Residents respond to Paro as it moves and makes noises.

At $7000 Paro might be expensive, but is a welcome and invaluable addition to the Elizabeth Lodge family.

Laura Ambriano, a specialised dementia nurse with Anglican Retirement Villages which runs Elizabeth Lodge, said the effect of the soft companion was equivalent to medication, without any side effects and with the added bonus of releasing endorphins.

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Paro gives residents “a purpose, gives (them) someone to nurture and something to care for, especially those ladies who were in those roles ... and affection and physical touch, because no one touches you when you’re old,” Ms Ambriano said.

Anita, one of the residents of the village, said Paro was beautiful and that she liked stroking him.

“You and me together,” she whispered to Paro while cradling him.

Residents Anita and June spent an afternoon getting to know Paro.

Ms Ambriano said many people still didn’t realise that dementia was a terminal illness, making moments of joy even more important.

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“So, if you can bring a moment of joy to someone’s life for today, even if its five minutes to see that smile, that’s awesome,” she said.

“I see it as opportunities to provide moments of joy for people who we don’t know how long will be here, and they might not remember it later on, but people remember how they feel.”

The Japanese robotic seals have been shown to reduce stress and increase interaction.

The fluffy seal offers benefits similar to a therapy animal and has been found to reduce stress in residents and their carers and to stimulate interaction.

The positive psychological effect on those living with dementia and depression comes through improving their relaxation and motivation — which Ms Ambriano has witnessed first-hand in the village.

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“Our barriers, our walls come down,” she said.

“When you’ve got dementia, your world is a lot smaller and so your opportunities for joy are not as great and that’s our role, to try and increase those opportunities as much as we can. And if we’ve got tools to help us that’s great.”

The seals are used to bring moments of joy to the residents.

Paro provides a rare opportunity for residents to share tender moments where they can stroke and hug the seal.