Help for Dementia: Why Try Doll Therapy?

Nearly a decade ago, when Angie Filipiak was working as a nursing manager in Fenton, Missouri, she had a patient with dementia who was agitated and kept trying to get out of bed. Concerned with how to keep her calm, Filipiak gave the patient a doll to hold.

"It was like a light switch," says Filipiak, who is a registered nurse and the founder of Angie's Purpose , a company that helps hospitals, long-term care facilities, and home caregivers implement doll therapy to improve safety and quality of life for people with dementia. "It immediately gave her a sense of calm and a sense of purpose. She stopped trying to get out of bed, because she was holding and protecting the doll, so it also decreased her risk of falling."

Since that time, more formal research has been conducted on the effectiveness of doll therapy for patients with dementia . The science has consistently found that offering adults with dementia the opportunity to use dolls is a cost-effective and safe way to improve both behavioral and psychological issues.

"Doll therapy provides an accessible and affordable approach for caregivers to try when looking to engage and comfort a loved one living with dementia, especially for those who previously enjoyed interacting with dolls or stuffed animals," says Elizabeth Edgerly, PhD , senior director of community programs and services for the Alzheimer's Association.

While much of the research in this area focuses on hospital and nursing home settings, Filipiak says it can also be successful for at-home caregivers. If you're caring for a loved one who has dementia, here's how doll therapy may help both of you.

Benefits of Doll Therapy for People with Dementia

According to Dr. Edgerly, the research around doll therapy is not yet conclusive, but the evidence suggests that it may help some people living with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease or other forms of dementia. "Potential benefits include helping calm agitation, improving overall mood, increasing social interaction and physical activity, and providing a feeling of companionship," she says.

One review of studies found that people with dementia who used doll therapy were less irritable when they were holding the doll, with less swearing, shouting, or aggressive behaviors. Researchers also reported significant mood improvements and lower evidence of depression.

These improvements can come relatively quickly too. Another study found a reduction in behavioral and psychological symptoms among people with dementia within just 30 days of trying doll therapy, which also corresponded with less distress for their caregivers.

While more research is needed, doll therapy - a non-pharmacological treatment - may prove as beneficial if not more so than standard dementia treatments that use drug therapy. According to one study, doll therapy was more effective than standard pharmacological treatment at reducing a number of symptoms, including agitation, aggressiveness, emotional distress, wandering, and apathy.

Negative Reactions to Doll Therapy

Despite its potential to improve symptoms and quality of life, doll therapy has some naysayers too. "Some caregivers may feel that doll therapy treats the person with the disease like a child and find it patronizing or demeaning," says Edgerly. There is also concern that if a person becomes too attached to the doll, they can experience anxiety if it's misplaced, or that caring for the doll can become a stressful chore.

While these concerns may have some merit, there's likely no harm in giving it a try. "If it's not their thing, you'll know pretty quickly," says Filipiak. "They won't engage with it." She also adds that doll therapy can reduce stress for caregivers. "It can be very comforting for family members to see their loved ones less restless, less agitated, and calmer," she says.

How to Get Started

According to Edgerly, the best approach to doll therapy is letting the person with dementia take the lead in engaging with the doll.

"Caregivers should place the doll in a location where it will be discovered by the person with dementia, rather than just handing the doll to the person," she says. "This allows the person to initiate engagement with the doll on their terms, if the person chooses."

If they do respond to the doll, caregivers should pay attention to how they like to interact with it, and realize that the type of engagement may change over time. "Approaches that work one day may not work the next, so it's important for caregivers to be flexible and patient," says Edgerly.

The act of caring for a doll can also replicate some of the physical effects of caring for a baby, says Elizabeth Cai, RN, coauthor of a pilot study on doll therapy conducted by a team of researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.

"The individual may rock, feed, change, or hold the baby doll. This encourages them to continue to use fine and gross motor skills."

Practical Tips for Doll Therapy

There's also an art to choosing the right doll. Filipiak says that in her experience, patients are more likely to respond to a doll that looks realistic. "The dolls I use are about 20 inches long, they have eyes that open and close, and they come in a variety of skin colors," she says.

Edgerly agrees and says that lifelike dolls - and robotic pets - can offer interactivity, which further enhances opportunities for engagement.

Caregivers should also engage with the doll themselves, as a way of connecting with the person living with dementia. Edgerly recommends asking them questions about their doll, such as: "What is the doll's name?" and "What have you been doing today with your doll?" She also recommends complimenting the person's caregiving abilities, such as telling them they're taking good care of their doll or that the doll is very lucky to have them.

The Takeaway

• Doll therapy for people with Alzheimer's and other types of dementia is an emerging field in which patients interact with dolls to help soothe physical and emotional symptoms.
• Research shows that it can calm agitation, improve mood, increase social interaction and physical activity, and provide companionship.
• Caregivers should consider introducing a doll to the patient to see if the patient wants to engage with it - and if so, encourage them to interact with it in the way that they most enjoy.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

Sources

1. Peng Y et al. Doll Therapy for Improving Behavior, Psychology and Cognition Among Older Nursing Home Residents With Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Geriatric Nursing . January-February 2024.
2. Martín-García A et al. Effect of Doll Therapy in Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia: A Systematic Review. Healthcare . March 2022.
3. Molteni V et al. Doll Therapy Intervention Reduces Challenging Behaviours of Women With Dementia Living in Nursing Homes: Results from a Randomized Single-Blind Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Medicine . November 2022.
4. Santagata F et al. The Doll Therapy as a First Line Treatment for Behavioral and Psychologic Symptoms of Dementia in Nursing Homes Residents: A Randomized, Controlled Study. BMC Geriatrics . October 2021.
5. Baby Doll Therapy Shows Promise for Managing Agitation in Patients With Dementia. Cleveland Clinic . December 2023.

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David Weisman, MD

Medical Reviewer

David Weisman, MD, is the director of the Clinical Trial Center at Abington Neurological Associates in Pennsylvania, where he has conducted numerous clinical trials into mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease to develop disease-modifying drugs.

Dr. Weisman has dedicated his research career toward advancing new therapies for Alzheimer's disease, focusing on clinical trials for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment, and other dementias, and he devotes his clinical practice to memory and cognitive problems.

He received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Franklin and Marshall College, then an MD from Penn State College of Medicine. After an internship at St. Mary's Hospital in San Francisco, he completed his neurology residency at Yale, where he served as chief resident. He then went to the University California in San Diego for fellowship training in Alzheimer's disease and other dementias.

Weisman has published papers and studies in journals such as Neurology , JAMA Neurology , Stroke , and The New England Journal of Medicine , among others.

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Cathy Garrard

Author

Cathy Garrard is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing and editing health content. Her work has appeared in print and online for Reader's Digest , Prevention , USA Today , Self , and dozens of other media outlets and healthcare brands. She also teaches fact-checking and media literacy at the NYU School for Professional Studies. See full bio See Our Editorial Policy Meet Our Health Expert Network