What is 'doll therapy' for people with dementia? And is it backed by science?

The way people living with dementia experience the world can change as the disease progresses. Their sense of reality or place in time can become distorted, which can cause agitation and distress . One of the best ways to support people experiencing changes in perception and behavior is to manage their environment .

This can have profound benefits including reducing the need for sedatives . One such strategy is the use of dolls as comfort aids. What is 'doll therapy'? More appropriately referred to as " child representation ," lifelike dolls (also known as empathy dolls) can provide comfort for some people with dementia.

Memories from the distant past are often more salient than more recent events in dementia. This means that past experiences of parenthood and caring for young children may feel more "real" to a person with dementia than where they are now. Hallucinations or delusions may also occur, where a person hears a baby crying or fears they have lost their baby.

Providing a doll can be a tangible way of reducing distress without invalidating the experience of the person with dementia. Some people believe the doll is real A recent case involving an aged care nurse mistreating a dementia patient's therapy doll highlights the importance of appropriate training and support for care workers in this area. For those who do become attached to a therapeutic doll, they will treat the doll as a real baby needing care and may therefore have a profound emotional response if the dol.