The main product of Trend Master Co., Ltd. (Atsushi Nakata / Trend Master), a stuffed animal "Nade Nadeneko-chan" that squeezes with a real cat's voice when stroking, cooperates with Masato Yamazaki (Toyama University) On June XNUMX, the recovery period after the earthquake, it was delivered to a welfare facility for the elderly to provide healing and a smile to the elderly.
In the 201 Great East Japan Earthquake, it was reported that dementia became more severe in the lives of severe evacuation centers and that dementia developed. At that time, the mental robot `` Paro '' played an active role in the mental stability of the disaster victims, and in Kumamoto, 15 “Nade Nadeneko-chan” (Kawasaki standard, welfare product certification) equipped with a new sensor were installed in several places. Introduced to a welfare facility for the elderly.
Yamazaki's views are as follows. “Healing” during the recovery period is necessary. Nadeneko-chan was easy to introduce by simply touching it and explaining that if it was stroked, it would squeak. From the windows, the roofs repaired with blue sheets and the collapse of the mountains can be seen, and residents of the high living and paid nursing homes, who have a high degree of independence, feel anxiety every time they see the scenery. The outline of Nadeneko-chan's reaction in that situation is shown below.
In the one-on-one contact between the resident and the cat, there were behaviors that tried to positively convey the cuteness and the reaction of squealing to others, and vice versa. It was also possible to confirm the tendency that the surrounding people gathered. There, more than one person was healed at the same time, and by taking turns loving Neko-chan, he helped build relationships between residents. Furthermore, as an indirect effect, it is speculated that the staff may be healed by seeing the smiles and reassurance of the residents who are in contact with the cat, that is, there may be a positive effect on the exhausted staff. It is possible.
Trend Master has decided to send "Nade Nadeneko-chan" to nursery schools and welfare facilities for the elderly in Kumamoto Prefecture every month for three months from August 2016.