The use of robotic animals in dementia care: challenges and ethical dilemmas
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

The use of robotic animals in dementia care: challenges and ethical dilemmas

Dominika Chiberska Staff nurse, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, England

This article looks at robotic pets and how they can be used in dementia care. The research discussed suggests that robot therapy could be beneficial to some people. The ethical dilemmas and challenges that need to be considered if planning the use of robotic pets is also discussed. Robot therapy can be used to enhance person-centred care rather than to replace human contact. Robotic pets can be used by nurses in their interactions with people who have dementia and nurses can play an important role in promoting this type of therapy. The article ends with recommendations and reflections about the inevitability of increased use of such therapy in the future.

Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2018.e1342

Citation

Chiberska D (2018) The use of robotic animals in dementia care: challenges and ethical dilemmas. Mental Health Practice. doi: 10.7748/mhp.2018.e1342

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

dominika.chiberska@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 26 September 2018

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