Award-winning companion pets for those living with dementia
So, are you a cat person or a dog person? My mother, was clearly a cat person. I don’t remember a time in my life growing up when we didn’t have a cat.
Meet the “real” Jack.
Years ago, I bought the most adorable kitten and named him Jack. While waiting to take possession of my new house, Mom and Dad said they would gladly cat-sit for me. However, during those few months, Mom began to act different. We couldn’t quite figure out what was wrong, but we knew it was something. Mom became stressed and agitated – but ALWAYS had time to pick up Jack and show him the love and attention a cat deserves. A few days before moving into my new house, we took Mom to the doctor. Our worst fears were confirmed – “Mom had dementia.”
In that moment, the world stopped spinning and I found it really hard to breathe. I kept replaying those 3 words over and over in my head while begging the universe for a different diagnosis. The doctor HAD to be wrong – but she wasn’t.
Detailed notes about my parents home life needed to be documented. I happened to mention that they were temporarily cat sitting. Mom said, “Oh yes, I love Jack. He’s my cat.” The doctor looked me right in the eye and said, “I hope you know that Jack is no longer your cat anymore. He now belongs to your Mom.”
As the disease progressed, everything changed – except her love of cats. Jack was such a good boy and put up with being picked up 100 times a day and in return he got all the love he desired. It was quickly becoming evident that Mom would be required to move into a long-term care home sooner than we thought. A big concern we had was what would mom do without her furry friend.
That’s when I found out about a company called Ageless Innovation (originally designed and launched by Hasbro). This company is devoted to developing fun and engaging products for older adults while creating meaningful connections for aging loved ones, their families, and caregivers.
The call came in January 2020. There was a bed for Mom at a local long-term care home. We were devastated. Mom had 5 days to move out of her family home without her husband of 53 years – but also, without Jack.
Upon hearing the sad (but also necessary) news, I remembered about the company that sold the realistic companion pets and immediately ordered one. When the item arrived the next day (we have Amazon Prime), I reluctantly took it out of the box and added batteries. Would Mom actually think this is real? Within seconds, the cat began to purr and meow. I couldn’t believe how real it sounded! They actually use a unique technology in their products called VibraPurr which gives the cat an authentic purr which sounds and feels just like real purring. Not only that, but it can open and close its eyes, lift its paw, open its mouth and move its head and body! Plus, it has built-in sensors so the pet can respond to motion and touch - such as petting and hugging, much like real cats. Mom picked up her new kitty, gave it a few pets and loving named it … “Jack”.
The wonderful news is we were able to bring her companion pet with us the day my mom moved in to her long-term care home. While everything was different and strange to Mom, the one constant was “Jack”. The other piece of good news is that the care home was totally OK with allowing this new animal, especially considering they didn’t have to feed it or clean up the poop! Haha!
I am truly grateful to all the developers at Ageless Innovation who came up with such a wonderful and unique idea. This product brought peace and joy to my mother, in her darkest time of need. As a caregiver to someone living with dementia, all you can ever hope for is that they are internally at peace. We are now the proud owner of two “Jacks” and I can honestly say these products are money well spent. With over 5800+ reviews, the following are just some of the Ageless Innovation pets I recommend … and yes, there are options for both a cat person and a dog person.
Please note, the products mentioned above are only recommendations and may not have the same outcome for you or your loved one. Please research all recommended products before purchasing. As an Amazon Associate, we may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases on Amazon.ca.
