They already guide blind and disabled people; now dogs are to be trained to help people with dementia.
The duties of these "guide dogs for the mind" will include reminding their owners to take medication, as well as encouraging them to eat, drink and sleep at regular intervals.
The dementia dogs will be trained to respond to sound triggers in the home that prompt them to perform tasks. These could include delivering a bite-proof bag of medicine with a note inside reminding the patient to take it, or waking them up in the morning.
The idea was developed by design students at the Glasgow School of Art and will be put into practice by Alzheimer's Scotland and Dogs for the Disabled. Labradors and retrievers were used to develop the project, and four will begin training soon. The first dogs will be assigned to four couples in September, where one of the partners is in the early stages of dementia.
Alzheimer's can make people forget basic things such as washing or drinking enough water. Joyce Gray of Alzheimer's Scotland said the dogs can give people a sense of companionship.
