The perfect gift holds the power to completely change an individual's life and that was precisely the case when residents at the Meadows received a donation of virtual pets. 

One of the Clinical Managers at The Meadows in Swift Current, Nicole Kuyek, explained that the donation came from the family of a former resident.  

“It was donated by a resident's family who used to live in that house,” she explained. We had a virtual dog in that house while their father lived there, and they saw the benefits that that dog had on the other residents, so they wanted to give something meaningful back. So, it was great.” 

The robotic animals look like cats and dogs and mimic noises and gestures made by that of a living animal. 

Kuyek added that the animals bring a newfound meaning to the lives of many residents. 

“We'll see the residents talk about animals that they used to own, or they used to have, or staff engaging with their residents about pets in their lives,” she explained. “So, it really brings people together. It gives the residents a purpose as well.  

“Some of them believe that they are their primary caregivers. Sometimes they’ll try and feed the animal, care for the animal, and just make sure that it's really taken care of. We sometimes see a cat or a dog, a stuffed one of course, on a table at mealtime, which is fine. If that's what can bring the resident some meaning or a quality of life, then we are definitely in favor of that.” 

senior with virtual cat

Around 20 virtual pets now reside at The Meadows, and all share a different relationship with the residents. 

“Sometimes we will assign an animal to a resident just because of that resident’s relationship, Kuyek elaborated. “Maybe they're a little bit more attached to that and they're not interested in sharing, so by all means we have them throughout the facility. 

“They are very well loved and like I said, they can be fed, so, sometimes they get dirty. That's why it's very important that we receive donations like this so we can keep on replacing them and more residents will be affected with them.”