Sweta Gandhi, programs supervisor and volunteer co-ordinator at the long-term care home calls the nursery a therapy room. It has been put in place for residents with advanced dementia.

“For some of the residents, it’s one of the biggest hits,” she says of the nursery.

Many of these residents have dolls that are similar to real babies in feel and size.

“Some of them walk with their babies all day long,” says Gandhi of the residents.

They use the nursery change their babies, feed them and put them to bed.

Gandhi says that the doll therapy hooks memories of past life experiences.

“It brings back remembrances of being a mother, a grandmother for some of them.”

The dolls also have been shown to have a calming effect on residents.

Gandhi’s observations jive with a study released last year on the benefits of dolls for patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

According to the study, presented at the British Psychological Society Conference, dolls “appear to help alleviate agitation or distress, help overcome communication difficulties, and reduce withdrawal” (“Dolls ‘help Alzheimer’s patients,’” July 8, 2006, BBC News).

In the small-scale study, 14 residents in a Newcastle nursing home were given a doll or teddy bear and then assessed over a 12-week period.

Researchers found that patients interacted better with staff and other residents. Some who had not spoken for some time even began to speak.

Dr. Ian James, who worked on the study, said: “Using toys to help people with dementia has been looked at before as it is an important, non-drug-based approach to behaviour disturbances in dementia residents.”

It was highlighted, however, that doll therapy doesn’t work for everyone and that long-term care homes need to include a range of activities to suit different individuals.

Gandhi notes that at Leisureworld Richmond Hill there are many different programs to fit many needs.

“We make sure to adapt them to all the different functional levels,” she says. The programs address a range of domains, including the physical, cognitive, spiritual, social and emotional aspects.

The activation staff at Leisureworld Richmond Hill runs some of these programs. There are also certified therapists, such as art therapists and drum therapists, who come into the home to work with the residents.

Gandhi says the home is known in the community for its excellent activity department.