Impactful Changemakers began with a simple question: How could more people living with dementia experience the comfort of having a companion dog?

Live therapy and service animals can make a meaningful difference, but they are not always available or practical in long-term care settings. Robotic companion dogs offered another possibility. They respond to touch and movement with realistic sounds and motions, giving residents something they can hold, speak to, and care for.

What started as a strong desire to connect more residents with that kind of companionship grew into an initiative that uses technology to address a human need.

Through Impactful Changemakers, a student-led nonprofit I helped establish, our team raises funds and provides robotic companion dogs to residents in long-term care communities. The dogs are not a replacement for medical care, staff support, family visits, or human interaction. They are simply another source of comfort and connection.

Our First Deliveries

Our first two delivery events took place at Renaissance Nursing Home in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, and Christian Health in Wyckoff, New Jersey.

To date, Impactful Changemakers has raised approximately $8,000 and delivered 40 robotic companion dogs. Each dog is given to an individual resident rather than shared throughout the facility. Residents also receive adoption materials and accessories that make the experience feel more personal.

The delivery events have been among the most rewarding parts of the project.

Some residents smiled as soon as the dogs were placed in their arms. Others took more time. They touched the fur, spoke to the dogs, introduced them to staff members, and began treating them as their own companions.

Those reactions stayed with us. They also showed that community impact does not always require a complicated solution. In some cases, a small piece of technology can create a very real emotional response.

Moving Beyond Observation

The events also raised an important question.

Were we seeing brief moments of excitement, or could continued access to an individualized robotic companion dog produce a measurable change in mood?

That question led me to conduct a controlled research study involving 40 nursing home residents with dementia. The study compared residents who received individualized robotic companion dogs with residents who continued receiving standard care.

The residents who received the dogs showed a modest but statistically significant improvement in mood. The study was later published in the American Journal of Student Research.

Research gave the project another dimension. Instead of relying only on what we saw during the delivery events, I was able to examine the dogs’ effects through data, repeated observations, and statistical analysis. The findings suggested that the benefits may continue beyond the initial excitement of receiving the dog.

Read the full published research paper: DOI: 10.70251/HYJR2348.444150

Continuing the Work

Impactful Changemakers hopes to organize more robotic companion dog deliveries in the near future and reach additional long-term care communities.

The first two events created a foundation. Media coverage helped share the residents’ experiences with a wider audience, while the published research provided evidence that the initiative may have a measurable benefit.

We hope this momentum will help the nonprofit secure additional funding, sponsorships, and community partnerships. More support would allow us to purchase more dogs and place them directly with residents who could benefit from the companionship.

There is still more work to do. The purpose, however, remains clear: use technology in a thoughtful and practical way to create moments of comfort for people living with dementia.

Media Coverage

The robotic companion dog deliveries received coverage from local and national news outlets.

• Patch: Morristown Teen’s Nonprofit Makes Therapeutic Donation to Local Dementia Patients
• AOL News: Robot Pups Bring Tail Wags and Comfort to Seniors
• Yahoo Lifestyle: Forget AI Companions—Seniors Are Using Robotic Pets

For a more accessible explanation of the research, read:

Can Robotic Companion Dogs Improve Mood in Dementia Patients?