Scrolling through Facebook yesterday, I came across this photo that caught my eye.
"My grandmother has dementia, she has had it for 5-6 years and has not been happy in a long time. Not until my mom got the idea of buying her a doll. I don't know why she thought of this but it has changed my grandmother’s life for the better.
She actually thinks she is babysitting and she cares for the doll like it's a real baby. She sings for him/her (sometimes it's a girl and other times it's a boy), she also brings it out to the other people in the home and for most of them it has the same effect. I thought this was kinda cool."
There’s nothing particularly new in the use of dolls, pets, cuddly toys etc. being used to comfort people in the later stages of dementia, but what struck me here was the outpouring of agreement and support in the comments that followed.
The post has been shared literally thousands of times, and by the time I saw it it had generated 325,243 Likes , and an incredible 25,962 comments!
What bowled me over was the overwhelming positivity that was being expressed. Obviously I couldn’t read them all, but it was heartwarming to see people in their thousands being moved to post their own photos of loved ones and share the benefits and comfort that toys seem to be bringing.
“My aunt Betty has had her doll for a year - best thing that’s ever happened the joy it has brought her.”
“My nan who has Alzheimer’s also has a doll which she loves and a cat teddy (she had a number of cats throughout her life). When she could walk she also had a doll’s pram which she would use to help her walk. She loves her dolly.”
“My Mum loved her teddies, she kissed them and cuddled them as if they were her babies, they also gave her confidence to mix with others, she couldn’t communicate with people but the teddies helped her. Her favourite was Thomas.” (pictured here)
Just three of the comments made, but all typical of the anecdotal evidence being generated.
Empathy dolls have been used widely in nursing and care homes for the past decade. But their use has not been without controversy. It can be an unsettling experience for visitors to witness older people seemingly behaving like infants, and it has been argued that the use of dolls is therefore demeaning and patronising. But the experience of so many families, as expressed so freely in their responses on Facebook, is that dolls and toys can bring genuine comfort.
If you want to find out more on the subject, check out the following links:
Pros and Cons of Dolls Therapy for Alzheimers- alzheimer’s.net blog
Using dolls to alter behaviour in patients with dementia -
Nursing Times 30/01/2007
