The caregiver checklist

Print this page   Two pages. Keep it with the batteries.

Before you buy

• [ ] Who is it for, honestly? Mild-to-moderate dementia and low-to-moderate agitation is where robot pets help most. Severe agitation: talk to the clinician first; a robot pet is less likely to help.
• [ ] Cat or dog? Cat is quieter, $20 cheaper, and in stock more often. Dog for lifelong dog people.
• [ ] Who will handle batteries or charging? Nobody → Joy for All (C batteries, keep spares). Someone reliable → MetaCat / metaDog (rechargeable).
• [ ] Can you return it? Buy from a retailer with a real return window. Rejection happens.
• [ ] Can you borrow one first? Public library or Area Agency on Aging lending programs. Call 1-800-677-1116 (Eldercare Locator) for your AAA.
• [ ] Is there a free program? Ask the AAA about animatronic/robotic pets. New York: code NYS20 for 20% off at joyforall.com.
• [ ] Do not wait for Tombot Jennie if someone needs a companion now. Join the free waitlist anyway.

Setting up

• [ ] Turn it on out of sight so the first experience is a warm, purring animal.
• [ ] Put fresh batteries in and write the date on masking tape on the belly seam. Change every 2–3 months of daily use.
• [ ] Put a collar with a name tag on it. Write the owner's name inside the seam.
• [ ] Decide on the sound switch. Shared room → mute the meow/bark, keep the purr.
• [ ] Pick a "bed" — a basket in another room — for mealtimes and nights if a stopped pet would upset them.

Introducing it

• [ ] Bring it as your pet: "Want to hold my cat while I make tea?" Not as a gift.
• [ ] Name it and give it a story ("she's a rescue, she doesn't like being picked up by the middle").
• [ ] Follow their lead on whether it is real. Do not argue in either direction.
• [ ] Hand it to them; do not expect a frail person to lift four pounds from a table.
• [ ] Try three to five short sessions over a couple of weeks before judging.
• [ ] No reaction after four or five tries, or distress that outweighs the calm → put it away, try again in a few months, or donate it.

Living with it

• [ ] Feeding attempts: go along with the belief ("the vet says once a day, and I already fed her"). Keep it away from the table. Wipe the mouth with a damp cloth.
• [ ] Cleaning: weekly wipe with a germicidal wipe or non-toxic toy cleaner, brush the fur. Never soak it or run it under water.
• [ ] Night: if a dead battery at 2 a.m. would upset them, the pet "sleeps in her basket" in another room.
• [ ] Breakage: motors and sensors fail with heavy use; keep the receipt and expect that a daily-use pet may need replacing.
• [ ] In a facility: tell the activities director it is a personal pet; expect it to wander; label it.
• [ ] When it is not working for them anymore: that is normal. Donate it to the activity room.

Warning signs to stop

• [ ] Distress about the pet being sick, dying, or hungry that you cannot redirect.
• [ ] Refusing food or sleep because of the pet.
• [ ] The pet is replacing visits, conversation, or care rather than adding to them.

This checklist is not medical advice. Agitation, anxiety, and behavior changes have medical causes — pain, infection, medication — that need a clinician. Full guide: aipetdog.com/robot-pets-for-dementia/