Animatronic animals offer companionship to older adults

These cats purr when pet, but won’t scratch up your furniture. The dogs make their cute little doggy noises, without barking incessantly at a passerby. They’re not real animals, but offer companionship to older adults in our area.

Animal companionship can help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation among older adults. But caring for an animal may be challenging for some older adults, especially homebound individuals.

According to the Dutchess County Office for the Aging: “During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York State tested the effectiveness of robotic pets on isolated older adults and found that the pets were 70-percent effective in producing a decrease in feelings of isolation.

The Dutchess County Office for the Aging has a limited supply of realistic animatronic pets for qualifying older individuals – those “most at risk for isolation, and who would likely be unable to care for a living pet.”

For more information, contact the Office for the Aging at 845-486-2555 or email ofa@dutchessny.gov.

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