Cramlington care home brings in HUG dolls for residents to feel comfort and replicate human touch

Harwood Court in Cramlington has introduced ‘hug’ dolls to comfort care home residents with cognitive impairment and dementia, and those receiving end-of-life care.

The dolls are designed to be cuddled, have a beating heart within their soft bodies and can also play music of a resident’s choice to soothe them further.

The arms are also heavily weighted, with the aim of replicating the same feeling a person would get if they hugged a relative or loved one.

Ann Callan, activity co-ordinator at the home, said: “We had the initial training session on how to use the dolls and we covered what the benefits were.

"During the sessions I was cuddling one of the dolls and I was very impressed with what they did.

“The dolls are weighted around the arm which gives you a strong hold, and it genuinely feels like you are hugging someone.

“We have tried some of the dolls with residents and they do find them quite comforting and soothing.

“We are aiming to distribute the dolls across the home and will see where they get most use.

“Even though they're aimed at those residents who are living with dementia, we will not restrict usage just to them. They are available for any of the residents to use.”

The staff have completed a training session focused on how to best use the dolls, and now feel confident to introduce them to all residents in the home.