Robotic Seal Unlocks Memory Care Silence

The cute cooing sounds, the gentle movements and the lovable rolling eyes have been known to unlock the silence in even the most disengaged memory care resident of The Cottage at Cypress Cove.
The sounds come from a lovable robotic furry white harp seal named, Snowball.
Its amazing. Snowball, as residents have so aptly named the robotic seal, manages to get even our most removed memory care resident to become active and excited. Everyone wants to hold him, pet him and talk with him. says Karla Oliver, Director of Assisted Living and Memory Care at Cypress Cove.

The picturesque 48-acre south Fort Myers continuing care retirement community in HealthPark Florida is one of a few dozen communitys nationally whose memory care facility has adopted a cuddly harp seal robot as part of its therapeutic program. The FDA has certified the seal as a Class 2 medical rehabilitative device.
Its a designation that youll get no argument from Oliver. Snowball, she explains, has been an instant hit with The Cottage at Cypress Cove memory care residents from the moment the white ball of fur arrived over a year ago. The seal has a powerful emotional effect, eliciting feelings of compassion and pleasure.

At The Cottage at Cypress Cove, some residents ask to babysit Snowball. But its the effect that Snowball has on some residents who have progressed to a point in their dementia that they no longer socially interact. I have seen the faces of some of those residents just light upand they grab Snowball, hug him and start talking, relates Oliver.
Administrators of The Cottage at Cypress Cove are careful to ensure that Snowball be a therapy item, not a babysitter. Interaction created between Snowball and residents have also given memory care staff an insight into the character of each individual (an important element for developing personalized programs).
Snowballs computerized circuitry is extremely intuitive and under its furry body is dotted a variety of sensors that detect touch, light, soundand temperature - allowing it to respond to these senses in an almost lifelike manner.

Editors Note: Please feel free to contact the Cypress Cove PR Office at (239) 415-1838 if youd like your own face-to-face meeting with our lovable robotic harp seal.