Can lifelike baby dolls provide a positive therapeutic response for people living with

Inclusion criteria: 1) Participants will be recruited from Australian government approved Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) within a 60km radius of Brisbane CBD in SE Queensland. 2) Have a confirmed or probable diagnosis of dementia 3) A documented history (within last 4 weeks) of anxiety, agitation or aggression. Exclusion criteria: Residents who are already using dolls or other plush toys. Dementia;Behavioural and psychological symptoms of Dementia (BPSD);Anxiety;Agitation;Aggression Participants in the intervention group will receive three individual non‐facilitated doll sessions per week, for 30 minutes (Mon, Wed, Fri), anytime outside of meal and rest times, for a period of 3 weeks (dose = 4.5 hrs).When given the Lifelike Baby Doll and the research assistant will read a short script, such as “Here is a doll. It looks a lot like a real baby but it’s not. I will leave the doll here with you for a short time”. Adherence to the intervention will be monitored via a GoPro Hero camera. A composite primary outcome to compare a Lifelike Baby Doll Intervention with Usual Care in terms of reducing anxiety, agitation and aggression. These symptoms are frequently referred to as behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). Facility staff will complete the revised Neuropsychiatric Inventory – Nursing Home (NPINH) to measure BPSD exhibited in the previous 2 weeks. Based on Carer report, the NPI‐NH is a valid and reliable instrument to assess frequency (0 = never to 4 = very frequently) and severity (0 = none to 3 = marked) of 14 behavioural domains. Video recordings via a GoPro Hero camera and will be used to measure BPSD and reflect the person’s interaction or non‐interaction with the doll. Recordings will take place in a naturalistic setting, i.e. where the participant is given the doll. Similar scheduled times will be organized for the usual care control, To evaluate the acceptability of the Lifelike Baby Doll for people with dementia. 40 minutes of video recordings during the intervention will be used to observe acceptability.;To evaluate the acceptability of the Lifelike Baby Doll for families of people with dementia and associated staff within the facility. Semi‐structured interviews will be conducted to evaluate acceptability by families and staff.