Wigan hospital's lifelike robot cats and dogs for dementia patients

A litter of lifelike cats and dogs have been bought for Wigan hospital dementia patients.
WWL staff with the animatronic pets for dementia patientsWWL staff with the animatronic pets for dementia patients
WWL staff with the animatronic pets for dementia patients

Worth over £400, the animatronic pets were paid for with funds raised by Sister Christine Lewis and the intensive care unit dementia support team, who wanted to help patients being cared for there.

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“There was a lot of hard work that went into the stand and the bake sale so I would like to thank everyone who helped.”

The department was asked by Christine and the rest of the team, to write down any memories that make them happy. Some staff brought in pictures of family members and others wrote down meaningful words.

ICU also held a bake sale, selling delicious cakes that the staff had brought in.

A total of £300 was raised by the department which allowed them to buy something for patients with dementia.

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And after a staff member mentioned that her grandparents, who suffered with the condition, had an electronic dog in their care home, the team decided they would look into buying their own.

They researched a company called ALZProducts that sold lifelike cats and dogs with synthetic fur and gentle breathing motions.

“No-one had heard of this product before, so it was nice to have bought something different,” said Christine. “It will be lovely to be able to share the cats and dogs around the trust to our dementia patients.”

After buying £300 worth of products, ALZProducts kindly donated £100 more of the furry friends.

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