Reducing loneliness and improving well-being among older adults with animatronic pets
| Autor: | Tkatch R, Laurie Albright, Daniel W. Russell, Stephanie MacLeod, Lizi Wu, Charlotte S. Yeh, Rachel Ungar, James Murphy, James M. Schaeffer |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Gerontology
030214 geriatrics Loneliness Ownership Pets Pet ownership 03 medical and health sciences Psychiatry and Mental health Mental Health 0302 clinical medicine Quality of life (healthcare) Surveys and Questionnaires Well-being medicine Animals Humans Geriatrics and Gerontology Pshychiatric Mental Health medicine.symptom Psychology 030217 neurology & neurosurgery Depression (differential diagnoses) Aged |
| Zdroj: | Aging & Mental Health. 25:1239-1245 |
| ISSN: | 1364-6915 1360-7863 |
| Popis: | Studies consistently demonstrate that older adults who are lonely have higher rates of depression and increased mortality risk. Pet ownership may be a solution for loneliness; however, challenges related to pet ownership exist for older adults. Therefore, researchers and practitioners are examining the use of animatronic pets to reduce loneliness.To determine the feasibility of an animatronic pet program, and whether ownership of animatronic pets would decrease loneliness and improve well-being among lonely older adults.Eligible individuals were identified as lonely through a prior survey. Participants were provided with the choice of an animatronic pet and completed T1/T2/T3 surveys.Attrition was high; 168 (63%) participants completed T1/T2 surveys, and 125 (48%) also completed a T3 survey. Post survey data indicated that loneliness decreased, while mental well-being, resilience, and purpose in life improved. Frequent interactions with the pets were associated with greater improvement in mental well-being and optimism.Animatronic pets appear to provide benefits for the well-being of lonely older adults. Future studies should employ randomized controlled designs examining the impact of animatronic pets. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|