Story thread · 2 reports / 2 sources

Robotic pets are helping older adults find companionship

nbcdfw.com · 9h · first reportShare

Technology can keep us connected to people all around the world, but a D.C.-area nursing home is using technology in a different way, providing comfort to residents when no one else is around. Robotic pets are giving some older adults something surprisingly real: companionship. Inside the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington (HHGW) in Rockville, Maryland , 79-year-old James Harrison has a new roommate, a robotic cat he named Isis after the Egyptian goddess of healing. And, he says, that’s exactly what she does. “It’s comforting me, and that’s what I feel like I need sometimes,” Harrison said. Harrison said he’s always loved animals, but at this point in his life, caring for a real cat wasn’t possible. “This, I can handle,” he said with a chuckle. “I don’t have to feed it or groom it or clean up after it.” His robotic pet companion is one of nearly 80 now living with residents there. To understand why something artificial can provide real comfort, you have to understand what life can somet