Doll Therapy

A nonpharmacological intervention used in dementia care in which a person is given a lifelike doll to hold, dress, and care for. For some people with advanced dementia, engaging with the doll can reduce agitation and distress, promote calm, and provide a sense of purpose and meaningful occupation. Doll therapy is controversial on ethical grounds: treating a doll as a real baby may be seen as infantilising or as a form of deception that compromises dignity. It is nonetheless practised widely in care settings because the observed well-being benefits for some individuals are significant. The debate over doll therapy foreshadows similar ethical questions in dementia-focused robotics: whether affective engagement with an object that appears to "care" is deceptive, and whether the benefits outweigh the risk of harm.