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Robopets helping seniors combat social isolation
Residents at the Clear Bay Terrace Apartments adopted interactive robotic dogs and cats Tuesday. FOX 13's Kailey Tracy reports.
CLEARWATER, Fla. - Tuesday morning usually centers around bagels and coffee for the residents of Clear Bay Terrace Apartments in Clearwater.
This week, however, the menu included something a bit more high-tech – new furry family members.
The backstory:
Volunteers of America Florida hosted a robotic pet adoption event at the senior living community, pairing residents with lifelike robotic dogs and cats. The initiative aims to provide companionship and spark social interaction among seniors who may be experiencing loneliness.
"My goal is to get those residents that I don't see often, don't get visitors, they're just in their apartment day in, day out, not much interaction. My goal is to get them out of that isolation, get them talking to other people," Mariah Cruz, housing community coordinator at Volunteers of America’s Clear Bay Terrace Apartments, said.
The program, a partnership involving Humana and the company Joy For All that makes the robopets, provided 50 robotic pets to the facility. Unlike traditional pets, these mechanical companions offer comfort and tactile stimulation without the need for walks or feeding. They are programmed to bark, meow, wag their tails and more.
Residents chose their companions, were handed adoption certificates and posed for pictures.
What they're saying:
Resident Walter Wilkinson named his new robotic dog Apollo, after the dog his kids grew up with. While he joked that he needed "some oxygen to settle down" from the excitement, he noted the deeper value for the building’s residents.
"It’s a diversion for all the seniors who live in the building," Wilkinson said. "At least when we walk into our apartment, and we see the dog there, it'll bring back memories."
Rob Coons, another resident, praised the atmosphere the event created.
"It's tremendous for anybody coming in to help out and to make people feel better," Coons said. "It's good to have that kind of environment."
Volunteers of America also held a matching adoption event for seniors at Creekside Manor in Clearwater.
Cruz hopes the pets will act as social icebreakers, giving neighbors a reason to visit one another.
"Create a community of people like, 'Hey, you have a robotic cat, I have a robotic dog,'" Cruz said. "'Let's get them together, let's have some coffee and talk about it.'"
The Source: Information for this story was gathered through interviews with residents at Clear Bay Terrace Apartments and Volunteers of America Florida.