美国国家公共电台 NPR Doll Therapy May Help Calm People With Dementia, But It Has Critics

Doll Therapy May Help Calm People With Dementia, But It Has Critics 

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Hugging a baby doll can sometimes soothe² even the most upset toddler. And some researchers say it can do the same for adults with dementia. Doll therapy is catching³ on at nursing homes. But, as Anna Gorman reports, not everybody thinks this is a good idea.

ANNA GORMAN, BYLINE⁴: Vivian Guzofsky is 88 and has Alzheimer's disease. She's holding a baby doll dressed in puppy dog pajamas⁵.

VIVIAN GUZOFSKY: Hello, gorgeous (laughter). You're so cute.

GORMAN: She lives on a secure floor at Sunrise Senior Living in Beverly Hills. Caregiver Jessica Butler sits down beside her and they sing to the doll.

JESSICA BUTLER: (Singing) You are my sunshine...

GUZOFSKY: (Singing) ...Sunshine...

BUTLER: (Singing) ...My only sunshine...

GUZOFSKY: (Singing) ...Sunshine...

BUTLER: (Singing) You make me happy...

GORMAN: Nearly every day, Guzofsky visits a pretend nursery at the home. She changes the doll's clothes, or lays him down for a nap. She says she goes there for one reason.

GUZOFSKY: Because I love babies, and that's it. And I do have some very nice ones back when I live now in my room.

GORMAN: Her caregivers don't know if Guzofsky believes she's holding a doll or a real baby, but they do know that the doll helps her when she gets agitated⁶. Vladimir Kaplun is the former director of dementia care at the home.

VLADIMIR KAPLUN: She's able to stay calm. She's able to have a conversation.

GORMAN: Seniors with dementia often get bored, angry or even violent. Senior centers and nursing homes are using doll therapy to both comfort their residents and prevent outbursts. Kaplun says other places may handle aggression⁷ differently.

KAPLUN: The solution is not so give them a doll. The solution to give them an Ativan.

GORMAN: That's an anxiety medication that critics say is overused in nursing homes. But not all elder care providers support doll therapy, some see it as demeaning. Gary Mitchell is a nurse in the U.K. who recently wrote a book about doll therapy.

GARY MITCHELL: It can be considered as treating people with dementia like children. And that perpetuates⁸ a lot of stigma⁹ with dementia care that we're trying to get away from.

GORMAN: Studies on doll therapy are limited, but show it can lessen¹⁰ anxiety, improve communication and reduce the need for drugs. Mitchell says it can also evoke¹¹ long-buried memories.

MITCHELL: For some people living with dementia, it's life changing.

(SOUNDBITE OF TOY XYLOPHONE)

GORMAN: At Sunrise Beverly Hills, the nursery is set up like a baby's room, with a crib and changing table. There's a toy xylophone and a Dr. Seuss book. Kaplun says the idea is to give residents something to do and talk about.

KAPLUN: What were your babies' names? How did you pick your babies' names? What are some of the best things about being a mom?

GORMAN: Another resident, 87-year-old Marilou Roos, is in a wheelchair and rarely speaks. She can't take part in many activities anymore, but she can hold the dolls.

BUTLER: Hold him really tight.

GORMAN: This morning, Butler hands Roos a doll wrapped in a blanket. Roos pats him on the back and gives him a kiss.

BUTLER: You're doing a good job holding the baby...

MARILOU ROOS: Boy.

BUTLER: A boy, yeah, baby boy. And he's five months.

GORMAN: Caring for babies is second nature to Roos. Her daughter, Ellen Swarts, said her mom did everything for her five children.

ELLEN SWARTS: She volunteered at the school, she did Girl Scouts¹² with us, she was on the PTA, so very involved in raising us.

GORMAN: Swarts said the progression of Alzheimer's has been hard. Her mother hasn't called her by name in over a year.

SWARTS: To see the light in her eyes when she has a baby in arms, I don't care if it's real or not, or if it's pretending. If that gives her comfort, I'm A-OK with it.

GORMAN: Swarts says all that matters to her is that the doll makes her mom happy when perhaps she needs it the most. I'm Anna Gorman in Beverly Hills.

INSKEEP: Anna Gorman is with our partner Kaiser Health News.

1 browser   

n.浏览者

参考例句：

• View edits in a web browser.在浏览器中看编辑的效果。
• I think my browser has a list of shareware links.我想在浏览器中会有一系列的共享软件链接。

2 soothe   

v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承

参考例句：

• I've managed to soothe him down a bit.我想方设法使他平静了一点。
• This medicine should soothe your sore throat.这种药会减轻你的喉痛。

3 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 pajamas   

n.睡衣裤

参考例句：

• At bedtime,I take off my clothes and put on my pajamas.睡觉时，我脱去衣服，换上睡衣。
• He was wearing striped pajamas.他穿着带条纹的睡衣裤。

6 agitated   

adj.被鼓动的，不安的

参考例句：

• His answers were all mixed up,so agitated was he.他是那样心神不定，回答全乱了。
• She was agitated because her train was an hour late.她乘坐的火车晚点一个小时，她十分焦虑。

7 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

8 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

9 stigma   

n.耻辱，污名；(花的)柱头

参考例句：

• Being an unmarried mother used to carry a social stigma.做未婚母亲在社会上曾是不光彩的事。
• The stigma of losing weighed heavily on the team.失败的耻辱让整个队伍压力沉重。

10 lessen   

vt.减少，减轻；缩小

参考例句：

• Regular exercise can help to lessen the pain.经常运动有助于减轻痛感。
• They've made great effort to lessen the noise of planes.他们尽力减小飞机的噪音。

11 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

12 scouts   

侦察员[机，舰]( scout的名词复数 )； 童子军； 搜索； 童子军成员

参考例句：

• to join the Scouts 参加童子军
• The scouts paired off and began to patrol the area. 巡逻人员两个一组，然后开始巡逻这个地区。