{"id":91023,"date":"2026-06-08T12:08:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:08:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=91023"},"modified":"2026-06-08T12:08:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T18:08:15","slug":"robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Walker
Walker pets the companion pet on his bedside table. It purrs in approval. Photo by Todd Neff, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lifelike cats, dogs and birds help older patients stay calm and feel at home when they have to be hospitalized.<\/p>\n

If the success of a UCHealth pilot project is any measure, robotic cats, dogs, and birds could become as common in hospital rooms for older patients with dementia as monitoring equipment and IV poles.<\/p>\n

Consider Richard Walker\u2019s case. Walker, 74, recently had to be hospitalized after he showed up exhausted and severely dehydrated at a hotel in Aurora. Staff members recognized that Walker was struggling and asked how they could help. He kept asking for Donna.<\/p>\n

The staffers tracked down Donna, who turned out to be Walker\u2019s sister, Donna Delano. She learned that her brother had been wandering, probably for hours, after walking away from his unit at Cherry Creek Retirement Village. He walked at least three miles and ended up lost, tired and confused.<\/p>\n

Pet robots serve as companions for older people <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Years earlier, Walker had served for 14 years in the U.S. Navy and once taught himself how to program computers using a Radio Shack TRS-80. He later worked as a programmer for IBM and payroll giant ADP. He can recall all of these details and that his father died in a boating accident back when Walker was just 15. He knows that he once was married and that he has a 36-year-old son named Michael.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe remembers a lot of his life. He doesn\u2019t remember it\u2019s time to go to dinner or whether he ate,\u201d Delano said. \u201cIt breaks my heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

After her brother\u2019s exhausting misadventure in May, Delano brought Walker to UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital<\/a>. He was admitted to the Acute Care for the Elderly Unit, which is known as the ACE unit. People like Walker, who are dealing with dementia, can have a hard time when they\u2019re in the hospital, which means nurses face extra challenges.<\/p>\n

With limited short-term memory, Walker and similar patients often don\u2019t know where they are, how they got there or why they need to be in the hospital. People with dementia often are confused, agitated, impulsive, and sometimes violent. Frequently, they need extra nursing care, and many need one-on-one professional care assistants, who are known as \u201csitters.\u201d Or they might need behavioral health technicians who can spend hours at patients\u2019 bedsides, helping them calm down.<\/p>\n

\"Robotic
Robotic companion pets such as the cat Richard Walker holds are having a strikingly positive effect on elderly patients with dementia as well as care providers and families in UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital\u2019s Acute Care for the Elderly unit. Photo courtesy of Donna Delano.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A robotic baby harp seal sparked an idea for how to soothe dementia patients<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Enter new helpers for older people with dementia and the teams of hospital caregivers who are keeping them safe and comfortable: robotic pets.<\/p>\n

Nurse leaders have been thrilled to discover that a $160 robotic cat can bring great comfort to patients like Walker, said Becky Fehlig the ACE unit\u2019s nurse manager.<\/p>\n

She said patients like Walker are more comfortable and less agitated thanks to robotic animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cNormally, patients are like, \u2018No, this is not my room. This is not my house,\u2019\u201d Fehlig said. \u201cBut then, when we bring in the pets, they seem to redirect their minds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robotic companion pets first emerged as care enhancers for dementia patients in 2004 with the commercialization, in Japan, of a baby harp seal robot called PARO<\/a>. The idea was to help reduce loneliness, agitation and anxiety among people with dementia. PARO cost several thousand dollars, and its target market was nursing care facilities rather than hospitals.<\/p>\n

But at a conference early this year, Jennifer Rodgers, University of Colorado Hospital\u2019s chief nursing officer, attended a presentation about PARO\u2019s benefits for hospitalized dementia patients. She discussed the possibility of robotic companion pets with Fehlig, who did some research and suggested using robotic cats, dogs and birds rather than the baby seal. There were several advantages to switching from aquatic to dryland creatures.<\/p>\n

One was cost. The second was infection prevention. PARO\u2019s cost would have required caregivers to rotate one or two robots among multiple patients. And with all of that sharing, nurses would have had to disinfect the robots frequently, which is especially challenging with a furry robot.<\/p>\n

The march of technology had brought PARO-like capabilities at far lower costs, so nurses could give each patient their own robotic pet. Then, given the modern companion pets\u2019 low cost, patients even could take their robotic pets home when they got to leave the hospital.<\/p>\n

Companion pets are making a difference for patients with dementia<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The pilot started on April 1. So far, dozens of ACE patients have received the robots, and they\u2019re responding very well.<\/p>\n

Walker called his robot \u201cCat\u201d or \u201cStuffy,\u201d and enjoyed changing his companion\u2019s name every other day.<\/p>\n

One afternoon, his sisters, Delano and Janet Clute, joined him as he interacted with \u201cCat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u00a0Richard
Richard Walker with sisters Donna Delano, who strokes the companion pet, and Janet Clute. Photo by Todd Neff, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His beard and hair are short and well-groomed, and his eyes are bright. His sense of humor remained sharp.<\/p>\n

When his sister asked, \u201cCan I take your kitty home?\u201d Walker didn\u2019t miss a beat.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 3.4 million dollars,\u201d he responded. \u201cJust a round number.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thankfully, the Joy for All Companion Pets cat<\/a>, with its silver and white mitts, doesn\u2019t cost nearly that much even though it can purr, meow and lift its paws just like real cats.<\/p>\n

For the nurse managers, these robotic cats \u2014 and other mechanical cousins \u2014 have been worth their weight in gold on the ACE unit. The benefits extend to the care providers, says Charge Nurse Andrea Cervantes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe see patients like this who come in really agitated, really confused, not really talking much, and then we get them to a spot like this,\u201d Cervantes said, nodding toward Walker, who held the companion pet on his lap. \u201cIt\u2019s making patients happy, so it\u2019s making nurses happy, because they\u2019re able to do something that brings joy to the patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ACE team has not calculated the total cost savings for the program yet, but early results look very promising. The companion pets likely are paying for themselves many times over by calming patients and reducing the cost of extra care and sitters who typically stay with agitated patients, Fehlig said.<\/p>\n

\"The
The robotic cat purrs, meows, closes its eyes, lifts its paws and even rolls over on its back for belly rubs. Photo by Todd Neff, for UCHealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Families are resting easier, too<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The robotic cat was an especially good choice for Walker. Prior to moving to Cherry Creek Retirement Village two years ago, he lived at Delano\u2019s home in Aurora for about 15 years. Delano describes herself as a \u201ccrazy cat lady,\u201d and currently hosts eight of them (Willow, James Bond, Milo, Otis, Oliver, Luna, Smokey, and Whitey Head Fred, the last of which Walker named). On a given day, Walker might have built a three-tiered doll-size bunk bed for his sister\u2019s feline brood and then gotten hopelessly lost driving to the supermarket.<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel so much better today, because, whether I\u2019m here or not, he\u2019s happy,\u201d Delano said, looking over at her brother, who was busy petting the robotic cat.<\/p>\n

As if on cue, the cat meowed, and everyone smiled.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s talking. He\u2019s interacting. He\u2019s happy, he looks good,\u201d Delano said. \u201cHe looks healthier than when he came in here. We were scared.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Walker prepared to leave the hospital, he planned to bring his companion pet to his new home in a memory care facility in Castle Rock. One sensed that Walker knew his little buddy wasn\u2019t an actual cat. And he didn\u2019t seem to care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lifelike cats, dogs and birds help older patients stay calm and feel at home when they have to be hospitalized. If the success of a UCHealth pilot project is any measure, robotic cats, dogs, and birds could become as common in hospital rooms for older patients with dementia as monitoring equipment and IV poles. Consider […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":91057,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[277,294,9171,1497],"class_list":["post-91023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovative-care","tag-metro-denver","tag-nursing","tag-senior-care","tag-uchealth-university-of-colorado-hospital"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nRobotic pets help hospital's dementia patients - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UCHealth Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@uchealth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\"},\"headline\":\"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1362,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/05142342\\\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Metro Denver\",\"Nursing\",\"Senior care\",\"UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Innovative care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/\",\"name\":\"Robotic pets help hospital's dementia patients - UCHealth Today\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/05142342\\\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/05142342\\\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/05142342\\\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp\",\"width\":800,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Walker pets the companion pet on his bedside table. It purrs in approval. Photo by Todd Neff, for UCHealth.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"name\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"description\":\"UCHealth Today\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UCHealth\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/6\\\/2020\\\/04\\\/24135149\\\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"UCHealth\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/uchealth\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/uchealth\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/school\\\/14839\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.com\\\/uchealthorg\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911\",\"name\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Todd Neff, for UCHealth\"},\"description\":\"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.uchealth.org\\\/today\\\/author\\\/tneff\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Robotic pets help hospital's dementia patients - UCHealth Today","description":"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients","og_description":"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/","og_site_name":"UCHealth Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","article_published_time":"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@uchealth","twitter_site":"@uchealth","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","Est. reading time":"7 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/"},"author":{"name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911"},"headline":"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients","datePublished":"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/"},"wordCount":1362,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp","keywords":["Metro Denver","Nursing","Senior care","UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital"],"articleSection":["Innovative care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/","name":"Robotic pets help hospital's dementia patients - UCHealth Today","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-08T18:08:15+00:00","description":"Robotic cats, dogs and birds are helping older hospital patients with dementia to stay calm while easing stress for families and nurses.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2026\/06\/05142342\/Richard-pets-cat-on-table-web.webp","width":800,"height":600,"caption":"Walker pets the companion pet on his bedside table. It purrs in approval. Photo by Todd Neff, for UCHealth."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/robotic-companion-pets-help-older-hospital-dementia-patients\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Robotic companion pets are a hit with dementia patients"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","name":"UCHealth Today","description":"UCHealth Today","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#organization","name":"UCHealth","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/uchealth-wp-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2020\/04\/24135149\/UCHealth-square-logo-1000x1000-1.jpg","width":1000,"height":1000,"caption":"UCHealth"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/x.com\/uchealth","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/uchealth\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/14839\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/uchealthorg\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC41SJI79yjZIe96OajzN22g"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/#\/schema\/person\/da7733ff5562e48e55c027d111ee5911","name":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ba17a8f1358d39c104ff6cb59da7fe21b9bfc792948447c3ac964e93b37aa49f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Todd Neff, for UCHealth"},"description":"Todd Neff has written hundreds of stories for University of Colorado Hospital and UCHealth. He covered science and the environment for the Daily Camera in Boulder, Colorado, and has taught narrative nonfiction at the University of Colorado, where he was a Ted Scripps Fellowship recipient in Environmental Journalism. He is author of \u201cA Beard Cut Short,\u201d a biography of a remarkable professor; \u201cThe Laser That\u2019s Changing the World,\u201d a history of lidar; and \u201cFrom Jars to the Stars,\u201d a history of Ball Aerospace.","url":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}]}},"coauthors":[{"id":23,"name":"Todd Neff","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/author\/tneff\/"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/23"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=91023"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91023\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":91083,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/91023\/revisions\/91083"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/91057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=91023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=91023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=91023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}