A SEAL THAT HEALS - Resident & Staff Perspectives on PARO in a Long-Term Care Home

Sep 29, 2026

Exploring how PARO affects people with dementia and caregivers in long-term care, the study examines both resident (n=10) and staff (n=10) experiences over four weeks from February to March 2025. Residents reported delight, emotional validation, and increased social connection during group sessions, while staff feedback confirmed these benefits and highlighted PARO’s role in person-centered care. The findings also identify accessibility, feasibility, and sustainability challenges, emphasizing collaborative adoption for long-term dementia care impact.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Study Overview

Participants and Timeline

Methods and Analysis

Key Findings: Residents

Key Findings: Staff

Implementation Challenges and Adoption

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 1099 stress and promote well-being. Yet, most research has examined either LTC residents’ or staff’s perspectives in isolation, limiting understanding of its broader impact. Our study explored the experiences of both residents with dementia and staff when using PARO in an LTC setting. Over four weeks from February to March 2025, residents (n = 10) engaged with PARO during group session, while staff (n = 10) participated in reflective sessions informed by video excerpts of these interactions. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed three themes from residents’ and staff’s perspectives respectively. For residents, PARO brought delight, fostered emotional validation, and promoted social connectionsand shared experiences. Staff feedback corroborated those themes, adding that PARO was a potential resource in the care toolkit to support person-centered care, and that its unique features generated strong engagement, but also presented physical accessibility, feasibility, and sustainability challenges. Findings highlight that PARO can be a valuable tool to enhance dementia care when both resident and staff perspectives are considered. Sustainable adoption requires collaboration among staff, administrators, and researchers to address accessibility, integration, and long-term feasibility. This study contributes to a holistic understanding of PARO’s potential role in LTC and informs strategies for advancing socially assistive technologies in dementia care. Abstract citation ID: igaf122.3692 A SEAL THAT HEALS: RESIDENT & STAFF PERSPECTIVES ON PARO IN A LONG-TERM CARE HOME Yuka Ohno, Janna Zeid, and Lillian Hung, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada In Canada, dementia is highly prevalent in long-term care (LTC), with estimates suggesting that nearly two-thirds of residents live with some form of cognitive impairment. Within LTC, residents often face social isolation, loneliness, and agitation, challenges compounded by limited staffing resources. Socially assistive robots, such as PARO, have been developed to reduce

FAQs

PARO was studied in what long-term care context and population?

The study focused on PARO use in a long-term care setting involving residents with dementia and participating staff.

What benefits did residents report from using PARO?

Residents described delight, emotional validation, and stronger social connections and shared experiences.

What challenges did staff identify regarding PARO adoption?

Staff noted accessibility, feasibility, and sustainability challenges, even while recognizing PARO as a promising care resource.

Sep 29, 2026

Upload by Pentious