Robotic pets touch lives at Lombard senior community

A group of dogs and cats in Lombard are bringing joy to area seniors.

These furry friends look, act and feel like real dogs and cats. Beneath the fur, however, they're all batteries and electronics - part of the robotic pet craze that's sweeping the nation.

These pets bark and meow, react to voices, have a heartbeat and sport fur that feels authentic.

Lifespace Communities, which owns and operates Beacon Hill in Lombard and 11 other senior living communities, is a big believer in the benefits of these robotic pets for older adults. So much so that they've invested thousands of dollars in robopets at six of their communities, with plans to extend that investment even further.

A number of these robopups and robokittens reside at Beacon Hill.

Jim Standish, health care administrator at Beacon Hill, says he's seen firsthand the impact the robopets can have.

"We gave one of the robotic dogs to a woman here in the health center who has dementia and really never spoke much," Standish said.

"The robodog changed everything. She named it after a pet she'd had earlier in life and began talking and expressing herself. It was like a small miracle."

While Standish says the impact of the pets varies, he's definitely become a believer in what they can do for residents.

Ann Walsh, Lifespace senior vice president of operations, says the robotic pets made sense as an investment from the beginning.

"I received a robotic cat as a demo from Hasbro and was naturally curious," Walsh said. "It quickly became evident that these little robopets had the potential to bring true joy to our residents."

The health benefits of owning a pet are well documented by scientists. In recent years, researchers have begun to find that robotic pets can offer benefits to older adults similar to those of a living animal.

While many residents free of any health issues at Beacon Hill and other Lifespace communities have purchased robotic pets as well, the foundation's investment is specifically for health center residents.

All Lifespace communities offer residential living, as well as other levels of living that might include assisted, memory support or skilled nursing, all on one campus.

"The impact the robotic pets have had on our residents has truly been remarkable," Walsh said. "As crazy as it might sound, these little robodogs and robocats are changing lives."