There’s little doubt that pets can provide loving companionship, especially to seniors living alone or those with impaired cognition. But attending to the real needs of pets- the walking, feeding, vet visits- often means that owning a pet is beyond the ability of many. Now Hasbro, the venerable toy company, has introduced a robotic toy dog, which mimics the feel and sound of a puppy without the actual care needs. How well such a substitute works to comfort lonely or impaired seniors remains to be seen, but Hasbro has been betting on this new trend in toys for all. To find out more, Read Here.

And in some senior facilities, the trend has been taken further, using dolls as sources of comfort for dementia patients, who may confuse the dolls with an actual baby. It’s a controversial technique- does this attempt to comfort also demean the senior? Read about both sides of the argument Here.