[IMC-Editorial] DOLL THERAPY

[Kristyn Wilson]

For Immediate Release
Contact: Kristyn Wilson, 614-797-4639


Doll Therapy Curbs Behavioral Problems in Alzheimer's Patients

Columbus, OH - May 20, 2004 - Caregivers of the estimated 4.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease often deal with patients who are uncooperative and combative because of the disease's main symptom, dementia.  However, coordinators of the Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association Sunday Adult Day Care Program and Lee Middleton Original Dolls are working together to show caregivers and Alzheimer's patients how to use dolls as a form of therapy to curb communication and emotional problems.
Ohio based Lee Middleton Original Dolls has received hundreds of letters in recent years from Alzheimer's caregivers who say their patients stopped wandering, arguing, and putting things in their mouths when introduced to the company's lifelike dolls.  In response, Lee Middleton Original Dolls created the Someone To Care For doll specifically for Alzheimer's patients. Each doll is sculpted and weighted to look and feel like a real baby.  Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association Sunday Adult Day Care Program coordinators started testing the doll in April 2004 and saw immediate results.
"The lower functioning group held on to the baby and enjoyed cuddling it.  The higher functioning group really took notice of the doll's realistic features," said Lisa Brosnahan, Sunday Adult Day Care program coordinator.  "One woman became very calm and didn't pace as much."
Coordinators also found patients' hands remained busy with the dolls, discouraging them from taking and hiding items that don't belong to them.
"The Someone to Care For dolls definitely received a stronger reaction from the group than other dolls we've used," said Brosnahan. 
A study performed at Florida Gulf Coast University funded by the National Alzheimer's Association tested the response of 20 subjects to the Someone To Care For doll.   The research team found the doll to be "very superior to any other dolls or stuffed animals currently being used in long-term care sites." Research associate, Suzanne Fitzsimmons also said, "this product is a 'must have' for any residential facility that cares for older adults with dementia."    
To learn more about the Someone to Care For doll or if you would like to see the benefits of doll therapy at the Sunday Adult Day Care Program in Columbus, contact Kristyn Wilson, Lee Middleton Original Dolls PR manager, at 614-797-4639, or contact the Central Ohio Alzheimer's Association at 614-457-6003.  Someone to Care For dolls retail for $99.00 and are sold by independent doll retailers.  

Photography is available upon request

About Lee Middleton Original Dolls:  Established in 1978, Lee Middleton Original Dolls (LMOD) is America's largest baby doll manufacturer.  The company's amazingly lifelike collectible dolls are winners of numerous industry awards for quality and design. The parent company of LMOD, The Middleton Doll Company, is a NASDAQ company (DOLL).  Popular lines by LMOD include: Newborn Nursery® and Artist Studio Collection®. For inquiries about LMOD, contact Kristyn Wilson at 480 Olde Worthington Rd., Westerville, OH 43082, by phone at 614-797-4639, or by e-mail at kwilson at leemiddleton.com.