Dept. of Senior Services Delivers Animatronic Pets to Buffalo VA Medical Center
Life-like pets are proven to Combat Social Isolation and Loneliness
In Photo Left to right: Erie County Department of Senior Services Commissioner Angela Marinucci, Civic Engagement Officer for the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement Nick LaMarca, Program Support Assistant Anitrea Foster, Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera
Deputy County Executive Lisa Chimera and Erie County Department of Senior Services Commissioner Angela Marinucci delivered 114 Joy For All Companion Pet birds, cats, and dogs to the Buffalo VA Medical Center. The animatronic pets will be distributed to older adult residents of the Veterans Home at Batavia, and veterans who participate in other programs through the VA who have various mental health diagnoses. These pets were provided by the New York State Office for the Aging’s (NYSOFA) Animatronic Pet Initiative to reduce loneliness and decrease the effects of social isolation for adults.
Joy for All Companion Pets are designed to have the weight and feel of living pets, right down to their soft coats and heartbeats. Built-in technology enables the pets to respond to touch, feel, and voice, creating engaging interactions with their owners. These life-like pets provide companionship for older adults and have been proven to reduce loneliness by 70%.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that social isolation and loneliness increases an individual’s risk of Dementia by 50%, heart disease by 29%, and stroke by 32%. In 2017, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Surgeon General declared social isolation a “global epidemic.” In May of this year, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory focused on bringing attention to the harmful effects of loneliness and introducing strategies to increase social connection. “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling-” he writes in his opening letter of the advisory, “it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death.”
The risk of Social Isolation and Loneliness for older adults who live alone is increased by factors such as having lower income, having psychiatric or depressive disorders, and having long-term disabilities. Companion pets will be given to veterans in the community living centers to help combat social isolation and improve their health outcomes. Nick LaMarca, Civic Engagement Officer for the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement tes: “This is [an] amazing donation that will benefit our area’s Veterans enrolled in multiple programs. We cannot thank the donating organization enough for this donation.”