Joyce Gross, a resident at Pinehurst Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, cuddles and talks softly with a pair of companion robo pets. Her smile is simply contagious and grows broader with each stroke of the cat and dog.
After reading an article about the use of companion robo pets in a skilled nursing facility with its residents who have dementia, John Barrett, of Pinehurst, wanted to make a program of this kind a reality here in Moore County for residents like Gross. Barrett had already witnessed the impact of making visits with his own therapy dog firsthand and how the visits left residents asking for more time with the dog.