MHA Willowcroft brings in HUG dolls for residents to increase comfort and replicate human touch

MHA Willowcroft care home in Spondon has brought in six HUG dolls following training sessions on how to use them.

The purpose of the dolls is to help comfort residents and replicate the same feelings they would get from hugging a relative or loved one.

The product is designed to be cuddled and has a beating heart within its soft body and they can also play music of your choice to intensify comfort levels.

The home is a 60 place residential and dementia care home and has two wings providing 30 residential places and 30 places for dementia care.

Helen Matthews, activity coordinator 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.”