Join us in 2020 as AGE-u-cate embarks on a Virtual Road Trip around the globe to empower and ignite participants by learning from innovators, change agents and creative minds in the dementia care space!
Our next stop is…
Combating Social Isolation and Loneliness with Robotic Companion Pets
Combating Social Isolation and Loneliness with Robotic Companion Pets
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
1:00 p.m. CDT
1:00 p.m. CDT
Jim Murphy
SVP, Ageless Innovation
In his role at Ageless, Jim serves as the Senior VP of Healthcare and spearheads the company’s growing business with a variety of healthcare organizations and grant programs. He is also responsible for expanding Ageless Innovation’s footprint as an approved nontraditional intervention for older adults who are lonely, socially isolated or living with cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Jim gained familiarity with Joy for All Companion Pets during his tenure at UnitedHealthcare, where he proposed and led a research initiative utilizing Companion Pets within the Medicare population.
Juliet Holt
Senior Director of Dementia Care for Brookdale Senior Living
Juliet Holt Klinger, the Senior Director of Dementia Care for Brookdale Senior Living is a gerontologist specializing in person-centered programs for people living with dementia. As an educator and program designer for more than 35 years, she has developed and operated programs for national companies representing both skilled nursing and assisted living levels of dementia care. In her role for Brookdale, she is responsible for dementia care program development, implementation and quality assurance for Brookdale’s nearly 400 dementia care communities and provides strategy development and innovation for Brookdale’s dementia care product line. Juliet is a longtime advocate for person centered care and also currently serves as a board member of the Pioneer Network—an organization devoted to promotion of person centered care and changing the perception of aging. Juliet is a frequent presenter on issues related to dementia care at national conferences.
The COVID pandemic is having a widespread and concerning effect on the emotional well-being and quality of life of elders, especially those living with dementia. In this webinar, our guests will share the findings of studies across the healthcare spectrum that support the impact and benefits of Robotic Companion Pets.
Two of the most prominent challenges associated with aging are: 1) supporting individuals with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) and 2) combating social isolation and loneliness. Both of these challenges have been greatly compounded by the advent of COVID-19.
Healthcare organizations of many varieties have been intrigued by the potential impact that robotic companion pets can have in supporting individuals with ADRD—and those that are socially isolated/lonely. Healthcare professionals from senior living communities, memory care, hospitals and health plans have pursued studies with robotic companion pets to understand the impact that they could have on the populations they serve. Across various settings, the themes associated with reducing loneliness, improving quality of life, and ameliorating behavioral issues associated with ADRD were evidenced throughout these studies.
