Robotic cats and dogs bring joy to homebound NJ residents

🐶 Some Morris County homebound residents are receiving "Joy for All" pets

🐱 The robotic pets provide love and comfort, without the cleanup

😊 The Morris County Sheriff's Office is behind the project

The Morris County Sheriff’s Office has been busy distributing 20 robotic companion pets donated through the Morris County Aging, Disabilities and Communities Program to eligible homebound clients in the community.

The “Joy for All” companion pets were acquired using funds from the Aging American Rescue Plan and delivered to qualifying clients enrolled in the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver program, said Morris County Sheriff James Gannon.

What is Project Lifesaver?

Project Lifesaver clients are eligible for these robotic cats and dogs. The animals provide enhanced support and assistance to county residents who are primary caregivers for an individual suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia disorders, as well as families of children afflicted with Down’s Syndrome, autism, traumatic brain injuries, and cognitive impairments, Gannon said.

These patients might be prone to wander away from home and become confused and lost.

“Project Lifesaver allows for a proactive response by law enforcement if this happens. It not only saves time and manpower but also gives caregivers and families peace of mind and reassurance that all possible resources will be utilized to locate and return their loved ones home safely,” Gannon said.

There are 170 people in the community enrolled in the Project Lifesaver program, he said.

Project Lifesaver started with 21 county sheriffs a few years ago, and Gannon calls it a brilliant program.

Participants in the program wear a special wrist or ankle bracelet equipped with a small transmitter which emits a signal that law enforcement can track when someone goes missing.

The national average search time to find someone in the Project Lifesaver program is about 30 minutes. Morris County's is 13 minutes, Gannon said.

“It’s an all-hands-on-deck call when something like that happens. Maybe an autistic child wanders and doesn’t have this device on, which is problematic. But, we’re able to get out there right away with our patrol division, with our community outreach and planning section, and return people to their families, which is really a brilliant program,” Gannon said.

The “Joy for All” Companion Pets

“When we were looking at social isolation and dementia care, we wanted to look at something creative, and the "Joy for All” companion pets have been the subject of rigorous, peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the efficacy of alleviating many of the effects of loneliness and social isolation,” said Christine Hellyer, division head of the Morris County Aging, Disabilities, and Communities Program.

The pets are intimate pet replicas to provide comfort to those who typically would not be able to care for a living animal in their home.

The robotic pets have soft fur, will react to an individual’s sense of touch, the dogs will bark if they’re talked to, and are very interactive, Hellyer said.

Through the pilot program, the pets were given to the county’s nutrition programs, homebound seniors and to the Cornerstone Adult Day Center. The goal was to bring joy to homebound seniors, those with dementia or other cognitive deficiencies, she explained.

“The pets bring a smile to someone and they start to engage with the individual that can either diminish their sense of loneliness or when you’re bringing a smile to someone, then they start to engage. They’ll start talking to the pet, they’ll start taking care of the pet. So, they really find a great place in the area of our elder care who may want some sort of pet but can’t handle the care of an actual pet,” Hellyer said.

Criteria for a “Joy for All” Pet Companion

Due to the limited supply of robotic pets available, Hellyer said qualifying recipients were selected based on the officer’s recommendation and caregiver approval. They also must be at least 60 years old, Morris County residents, homebound, and suffering from dementia, or some other similar cognitive condition.

The pets respond to motion and touch. The cats will roll over on their bellies and purr. The dogs will turn over if an individual speaks to them, and they bark. They all wag their tails. But they don’t need to be cleaned up after, which is a perk, Hellyer said. It’s the best of both worlds for these homebound individuals.

The pets don’t come with names. Individuals who are fortunate enough to receive one have the privilege of naming their robotic dog or cat, and they can keep them for as long as they want, Hellyer said.

Client Reaction

Sheriff Gannon was present for the delivery of one of the robotic companion pets to a Morris County Sheriff’s Office Project Lifesaver client.

He brought a robotic cat to an older woman and within two minutes, he said, she brightened up, hugging, and petting the cat.

“It was an unbelievable experience to see that interaction. I really saw joy. I saw hugging. I saw love. These are our friends in the community, wonderful people. Besides that, I saw the caretaker’s reaction, seeing love again by his wife,” Gannon said.

He called these robotic pets simply a “brilliant concept.”

Gannon also gave praise to the community outreach and planning section.

“We have around 170 clients throughout Morris County. They are out there every day interacting with them, and it makes us all better people doing this type of work,” he said.

The Future

The hope is to expand the “Joy for All” pet companion program. As this becomes more popular, Gannon believes more partners will jump on board and want to help.

The county will also look at creative ways and funding to see if they can continue to move forward and expand the program to provide more pets for individuals to receive that joy, Hellyer added.

Hellyer also said that besides Morris County, she is aware of five other counties doing a similar program involving robotic pet companions for qualifying homebound residents. They are Monmouth, Camden, Somerset, Gloucester, and Cumberland counties.

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