Adaptabilité du robot Paro dans la prise en charge de la maladie d'Alzheimer sévère de patients institutionnalisés

The aim of our study is to check the impact of a therapeutic intervention with the Japanese seal robot Paro on institutionalised patients suffering from severe Alzheimer's disease and unwilling to take part in a non-pharmacological group care. We, therefore, measured its impact on patient's behaviour and communication skills. Five patients were included and each had eight private sessions that lasted for 20 minutes. The result on the NPI scale showed a statistically significant decrease in the disturbed behaviour (P = 0.03588) after the seal therapy. Furthermore, our observation showed that the robot intervention had an impact on expression of feelings, on verbal and non-verbal exchanges and on each patient's search for intimacy and contact.