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TECHNOLOGY
Harp Seal Makes Waves at Carlyle Place
A pproximately 350 people call Carlyle
Place, Navicent Health (CPNH)
home, but only 20 reside in Carlyle
Place's Cambridge Court memory
care area. Those living in this residential area
suffer from a number of maladies that affect
the mind, including dementia, Alzheimer's and
Parkinson's diseases. One new resident is
making waves at Cambridge Court. Her name
is Lucy, and she is a harp seal. More
specifically, she is a robotic harp seal.
Tom Rockenbach, Executive Director of
CPNH, learned of the robotic seal – trade
name Paro – through an article that led him to
do online research. After discovering an adult
daycare center in Athens and researchers at
Georgia Tech were working with the seal, a
team of therapists, clinicians and
administrators from CPNH visited to see Paro
in person. They immediately knew that Paro
would be a good fit for Cambridge Court. Once
Paro arrived, the residents quickly took to her,
changing her name to Lucille the Seal, or Lucy.
“We are always looking for new opportunities
and new technologies. We want to offer the
highest quality of service to our residents, and
that includes incorporating technologies that
are beneficial to our residents,” said
Rockenbach.
Residents are able to spend time with Lucy
during group therapy settings in order to
become acquainted with the seal. She responds
to touch and sound, squeaking with delight
when petted and turning to look at those who
speak to her.
“She's just like a human being,” coos resident
Jeanette Talley as she cuddles Lucy. “You just
feel her move and she's real sweet. It's just like
having a puppy, it surely is!”
Designers chose to create the robot in the form
of a seal, intentionally avoiding more
commonly known animals such as dogs and
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patients, CPNH has been able to reduce the
use of medications in Cambridge Court.
“We believe in a minimal use of psychotropic
medications, and Lucy has stepped in as a
replacement for the medications. Our biggest
challenge in treatment is interaction when they
become escalated, but we are finding more
natural ways to do it,” said Danny McCrary,
Director of Healthcare for CPNH.
Although Lucy is having a tremendous effect
on Cambridge Court's residents right now,
McCrary and his team continue to explore new
options to assist with their memory care
residents. Often, treatment requires a mixture
of new technologies, like Lucy, and old
techniques, such as pet therapy.
“Our team meets weekly and we are always
cats. Lucy's primary purpose is to redirect and looking for something new to introduce. We
deescalate residents, particularly those with had one gentleman that was very much into
dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and the football and music, but now he has no interest
creators did not want their robot to play on in that. Now it's animals, and that's the way it
any latent fears of dogs or cats. Their guess goes. You've got to be ready to change, to
was that not many people had interacted with recognize it and go with it. We are the
a harp seal. caregivers, and it's up to us to figure it out how
to best meet our residents’ needs.” said
“We've only had Lucy for a few months, but McCrary.
she has been phenomenal. She's been great
with redirecting the residents when they have If you would like to learn more about Cambridge
behaviors. You bring Lucy out and she just Court or other residential areas at Carlyle Place,
takes them to a different place. They stop Navicent Health's continuing care retirement
focusing on what they're agitated about and community, please visit NavicentHealth.org Keyword
focus on interaction with Lucy,” said Carrie “Carlyle Place”
Warren, Education Coordinator for CPNH.
Due to Lucy's innate ability to redirect agitated
What new Next on the horizon is Google Spoon, a utensil that
technologies will compensates for hand tremors, making it easier for those with
conditions such as Alzheimer's, Grave's and Parkinson's
appear at diseases to feed themselves.
Cambridge Court
“The spoon compensates for the tremor so the food won't fall
in the coming off. It helps their morale to be independent,” said McCrary.
year?
Each Google Spoon costs approximately $600. At the time of
publication, CPNH had purchased four of the spoons and has
budgeted for more in the coming year.