Dr Em Bould, a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University’s Occupational Therapy Department and Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, has spent years exploring how everyday experiences can spark meaningful connections.
Their innovative Pets and People program, a pilot funded by the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA), harnesses a shared love for animals to combat loneliness and social isolation among older adults in residential aged care and international university students.
Inspired by personal encounters and driven by a passion for inclusive research, Dr Bould’s program is proving that pets – both real and robotic – can forge powerful bonds across generations.
The idea for the Pets and People program was born from Dr Bould’s own journey. “I came over to Australia with just me and my dog,” they shared. “Didn’t know anybody. I’m from the UK. People stop and talk to you when you are walking with a dog.” Living next to an older Greek couple, Dr Bould found a unique connection through their Jack Russell.
“They used to have a Jack Russell. I’d drop my Jack Russell, Murphy, off there in the morning. They gave him some company, and after work I spent ages talking to them. We didn’t have a lot in common, other than the dog. They didn’t speak much English, I speak no Greek, but we had conversations around the dog.”
This experience planted the seed for a program that could use pets as a conduit for connection, particularly for those most at risk of loneliness.
Dr Bould, (they/them), had already conducted research that explored how dog walking could benefit people with cognitive disabilities, but they wanted to expand this concept to include all pets and focus on two groups known to experience social isolation: older adults and international students.
“Thinking about people that are lonely and socially isolated, and thinking about pets and how they could be that conduit for them too,” they explained. The timing of the idea coincided with the ABC’s Old People’s Home for Teenagers, which paired older adults with younger people. “I was like, damn it, they’ve done this,” Dr Bould laughed.
“But the Pets and People program is basically that, but with pets.” Unlike the TV show, their program was designed to be inclusive, accommodating participants with varying abilities, including those with dementia or limited mobility.
The Pets and People pilot, conducted across two aged care facilities in Victoria, including Fronditha Care, brought together 30 older adults and 11 international Monash University students for weekly one-hour sessions over 18 weeks.
The program was co-designed with participants and aged care staff through an action research process, ensuring it met the needs of both groups. Activities were intentionally simple and low-cost, ranging from animal-themed arts and crafts to jigsaws, animal bingo, and singing songs about animals.
Live pets, including Dr Bould’s dog Barney and animals belonging to staff or family members, joined the sessions, alongside robotic cats and dogs designed to spark interaction.
The results were striking. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, researchers recorded a significant decrease in loneliness, from 49.4 to 41.4. Health outcomes, measured by the EuroQol-5 Dimension Instrument, showed a clinically significant improvement, rising from 0.741 to 0.800.
“We found that both older adults and international students experienced a significant decrease in feelings of loneliness and a significant increase in their health,” Dr Bould noted. One older participant reflected, “I was lonely, so the program has perked me up. I feel like I have made some friends, and it’s made me feel less lonely.”
An international student added, “After doing this program, I always feel like my mood becomes better, and I feel more relaxed, and just happier than before.”
One of the most unexpected outcomes was the impact of robotic pets, particularly for older adults. Dr Bould recounted a poignant story of an older adult who received a robotic cat. “She really liked cats, and we weren’t going to get a real cat in for her,” they explained.
“I gave her the robotic cat, and she instantly loved it. She started talking to it, saying, ‘I’m going to have to give it some thought about what I call the cat.’ After a few days, she decided on a name that helped her connect to her late husband.”
The older adult spoke of the cat as if it were real, even expressing guilt for not being able to feed it. “She said it was company, and wished she had the cat during COVID when she was confined to her room,” Dr Bould added.
At Fronditha Care, robotic pets were similarly embraced, with residents voting on names and sharing the animals among themselves. Photos from the program capture the warmth and joy these interactions brought, with one image showing two elders gazing affectionately at a robotic cat.
The program’s inclusivity was key to its success. “Our cohort of people ranged in ability,” Dr Bould said. “Some people were confined to their beds or wheelchairs. They didn’t have a lot of mobility, and that didn’t matter. We also had people with dementia participate. Anybody could participate in the program.”
To ensure animal welfare, a pet checklist assessed the behaviour, personality, and health of live animals, while a canine monitoring tool, developed with a veterinarian and animal welfare officer, monitored dogs for signs of stress.
“We wanted to make sure the animals were suitable and weren’t becoming stressed or anxious,” Dr Bould explained. “The welfare of the animal was really important.”
Beyond its emotional and health benefits, the program is remarkably cost-effective. The average cost per participant for 10 or more weeks was $237, with an explorative cost-utility analysis showing a cost of $4,017 per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained – well below the Australian Government’s threshold of $28,000 per QALY.
Dr Bould believes the cost could decrease over time as initial investments, like robotic pets or activity materials, are reused. “Conversations cost nothing,” they said. “We had activities like animal bingo, arts and crafts – things that didn’t cost a lot. You can make it expensive if you want, but we really wanted it to be low-cost.”
For providers hesitant about logistical barriers, Dr Bould suggests leveraging existing staff and resources. “We used lifestyle staff to run the program. You’re just utilising the resources you already have.”
The program’s potential extends beyond the pilot. Fronditha Care has scaled it across five of their residential aged care facilities as well as their community program, a move CEO Faye Spiteri OAM described as vital for supporting elders’ wellbeing.
“We understand the importance of a program like this in creating opportunities for our elders to experience the joy that pets bring,” she said. Dr Bould sees further opportunities for replication, noting that the program aligns with proposed aged care reforms that will require providers to ensure residents remain connected to pets.
For Dr Bould, the story of the older adult and her robotic cat remains a powerful reminder of the program’s impact. “She sticks in my mind, the connection she’s now got with this cat, and how much it means to her,” they reflected.
Through shared stories, photos of past pets, and moments of laughter over live and robotic animals, the Pets and People program has shown that even the simplest connections can transform lives, proving that pets – real or robotic – have an extraordinary ability to bring people together.
