According to an article on BBC, Japan is seeing a surge in sales of talking dolls that help the elderly stave off loneliness and perhaps even dementia. "Several companies have developed childlike dolls that go beyond repeating set phrases to conduct a range of basic conversations." Here's what one 86-year-old woman said about her "talking boy" doll: "After spending about a month with this boy, I started to feel affection for him and cannot leave him alone. I feel more positive and talk more often."

The company that developed the dolls initially targeted 20-something women, but was surprised to see it take off among the elderly. Executives think young people are buying the dolls for relatives they don't have the time to visit. The article concludes, "The Japanese government concedes that loneliness is a problem among the country's elderly. A 2012 study showed that around a quarter of pensioners who live alone may go days without having a conversation with another person."