Lifesize dolls for elderly residents

An absolutely brilliant idea, I’ve thought about this for a long time, when I used to visit my mother in law with my baby granddaughter, the residents would fight to get at her, once resulting in an elderly lady being knocked over

I think they should be given reborn dolls to care for, they are very realistic, and they would love them

I thought this thread meant really life size dolls for elderly residents to care for, there wouldn't be much room in the lounge if everyone had one!!
But then I thought like Sara65 how realistic the reborn dolls are and how much pleasure they could bring to elderly ladies , especially if they could knit clothes for them , of course this is no substitute for human contact but sadly many don't get visitors .

Am I alone in finding “reborn baby” dolls and all of this creepy?

Dementia patients excepted of course

When my dear mother in law was in a home due to Dementia, they were given lovely realistic dolls that looked just like babies and she loved them. She carried it around and held it just like a real baby. I’m sure it gave her comfort in her final years. So yes I agree luckygirl a great idea.

I agree Maw
How about lifelike pets instead? They did do a trial of a lifelike small dog which was a success with older people.

A couple of the ladies in my H's care home had them.
I was called on several times to dress them again when they had taken their clothes off.
One referred to hers as her daughter.
I think they gave them comfort, they also liked stuffed kittens and puppies.
Something to love and cuddle I think.

Pets would be a better idea---as lemongrove suggested.

Soft toy animals , including teddy bears, are apparently (she says!) very popular with a huge percentage of the adult population.
Sebastian Flyte was not alone.

Looking at the link, they really unnerved me , the thought of sitting looking at a dummy , no sorry

I had a beautiful doll that looked like a real sleeping baby, GD couldn't bear to be parted from it and took it home. I have a drawer full of beautiful baby clothes but she prefers the little fluffy pram suit andI just know it will be murky grey now.

My great aunt lived in a care home with some friendly cats. She had no animals in her "ordinary" home life but loved these cats and talked to them and encouraged them to sit on her lap. Life would have been pretty empty without them I think.

I think it's patronising. What makes "them" so sure old people want to remember days gone by? Some might actually prefer living in the present,

One of the many reasons I would HATE to go into a care home. Just as mum who is 101 who is brighter than many people of a much younger age would have the screaming ab-dabs.

Dementia apart of course.

Giving them reborn dolls to care for is the ultimate in patronising!

For years I have longed for a humanoid robot - I don't think I shall live to see the day.

To my way of thinking, it is the communication and company I believe the elderly living alone would value, I certainly would.
Dolls of any size would not interest me.

It sounds very selfish but I wouldn't be able to tolerate small talk: 'Did you see that programme on telly last night?' sort of conversations but I would love to discuss interesting topics such as one hears on TED talks.

I think a lot depends on each individual. People with dementia for instance still behave in very different ways, some might be comforted by having a realistic baby to cuddle, others would freak out by the lack of interaction with the doll.

My mother has Alzheimer's and loves to see young children, often chatting to them or pulling faces to make them laugh but at the moment, she likes their reactions to her so a doll would not be a substitute. But maybe in the future? She also loves to look at cats and dogs so an "animal" might be a possibility.

I personally find these real life baby dolls creepy but can see how they could be a comfort to some people but the most important thing is the understand how dementia affects different people and not lump everyone together.

My mum was very happy holding a ‘baby’ I just tried it as an experiment and she used to love it rocket and talk to it, occasionally if she was in a bad mood she’d chuck it across the room (presumably she never did that to me) she went through a few but never seemed to notice the difference when I got her a new one I think a ‘baby’ (not a reborn though I think they are ugly and creepy yuk) is a great idea to try for some but not every dementia patient of course all are different, but I ve got to say I m not sure about those lifesize ones in the article so it depends how it’s handled
My mum loved it when a dog came to visit I think she would have loved a resident cat on her lap

The dolls are adult-sized; not babies in the main.

Am I looking at a different link ?
No mention of ‘baby’ dolls. These are life size figures intended to spark memories and instigate conversation.

Here are the figures.

Another poster mentioned “reborn baby” dolls in the same context.
Not unreasonable?

No, not unreasonable but not addressing the question in the OP.

Sarah65 suggested giving reborn dolls. ?

Good God, is that all old women are thought to be interested in - babies and knitting -. How offensive and patronising. How about helping them be more interested and involved in life. many people before they go into care have been muddling on at home with domestic tasks, gardening etc even if no longer efficient in those jobs. Go into care and all that is done for you and people just sit and stare. Get them up get them helping in the garden, helping with domestic tasks, laying and clearing tables, washing up etc. Do not patronise them with baby dolls (then probably snigger at them behind their backs).