A pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) published in The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry by Steven M. Albert, PhD, MSc, FGSA, FAAN; Lisa Nagy, MS; Austin Wellhoefer, BA; Teddy Swift, BA; and Shannah Gilliam, PhD suggests that a low-cost, companion robot pet can significantly improve the positive affect, or mood, of older adults receiving family care. This finding is particularly important as the effectiveness of such devices has been less clear in home settings compared to residential care, and among people without severe dementia.
The study recruited 50 caregiver-older adult pairs from Pennsylvania’s Caregiver Support Program and randomized them to receive the “Joy for All” robot pet immediately or after a four-week control period. The results showed that older adults in the intervention group had a statistically significant gain in positive affect compared to the control group. At follow-up, 44% of those with the robot pet scored in the top quartile for positive affect, compared to just 12% in the control group. There was no significant difference in negative affect between the groups.
While direct engagement with the pet was correlated with higher positive affect, caregiver comments revealed that the benefits extend beyond one-on-one interaction. Caregivers reported the pets became a focal point for conversation and social interaction with visitors, suggesting the pet acts as an environmental stimulus as much as an interaction partner. This initial trial suggests a psychosocial benefit for the accessible Joy for All pet, advocating for its consideration as a simple tool to enhance mood and social interaction in the home.
Commentary
What about real pets? It is worth noting that the only mention regarding real pets is that having an existing real pet in the home was not an exclusion criterion for participation in the study.
While the background section briefly mentions research on the use of companion animals and robopets in general, and that prior research suggests older people prefer realistic animals, the authors do not report on a separate arm or analysis comparing the outcomes of the robot pets to those of real pets.
There are certainly advantages to a robot pet, especially for care givers. They are cleaner. Quieter. And they don’t die. To this extent, however, this is an example of automating care. Would a real animal have a similar, greater, or lesser effect on mood? Does taking away the element of mutual care (person for animal, and animal for human) take something away from the experience, either in terms of the emotions that elderly experience, or lasting effects?
Interesting study worth replicating with improved controls to account for the relative and/or compounding impact of having a real pet instead of — or in addition to — these creepy-looking robo-companions.
Albert, S. M., Nagy, L., Wellhoefer, A., Swift, T., & Gilliam, S. (2025). Effect of a robot pet companion on the mood of older adults receiving family caregiver support: Pilot RCT. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jagp.2025.12.007
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