[Music] animals brought these folks settle people down you can see a difference in their expressions it purrs they can feel that for people with dementia it's very comforting to them we don't try to tell them that it's not real it's not you know we're living in their life right now we're living in their life what's going on girls how's your lunch my name is Steven oudy and I am the director of memory care here at Plymouth crossings Plymouth crossings is an assisted living community for folks with memory care issues distrust me a little bit that he was conversing with something that wasn't real but it gave him pleasure and that relaxed him and I figured it's working so why not yeah I like the cat now we both like the cat hi dad oh yeah Nancy I found it you're lucky he loves you yeah who wants to take care of the kitty you want to take the kitty all right if you want to take care of the other kitty okay we need to give these guys some names it has something to say about the cats but I don't know what it is he's a sweetheart it's just absolutely sweetie some people don't have to worry about having the animal fed although they do try to feed them you hungry the first one that we got was just was like on a whim I just kept passing it in the store it would meow when it would roll over it it would kind of flip it spar at me and probably about the fourth or fifth time after I walked by it on my visits to the store I finally said are a hundred bucks all right I'll buy I just assumed that it was designed for kids so then we got another cat we had somebody donate another one after families saw you know for one or two folks that we may take aside who are not having such a great day and we know that some of these animals will help to settle them or help get a smile out of them or help to get a conversation going [Music] [Music] [Music] I don't discourage them from thinking that the animals are not real you know they know that when they're finished with the animal at any given time they can give it back to us some people will get anxious that that I gotta take care of this cat I don't want to take care of this cat you know so we will go back and we'll take it I sit up you know I'll take the cat to my house now and I'll take care of it I'll bring it back tomorrow put them right next to you okay some families were a little bit reluctant you know I don't want you to lie to them I said well but look how look how happy it's making him to them in Israel you