A care home has introduced new HUG dolls to comfort residents living with cognitive impairment, dementia and those in end-of-life care.

Staff at MHA Bradbury Grange in Whitstable have introduced the new scheme to help replicate the same feelings they would get from hugging a relative or loved one.

Five of the dolls have been bought following training sessions on how to use them.

Tim Bailey, the home's deputy manager, 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.”

HUG was developed from academic research undertaken at Cardiff Metropolitan University, which came about after a visit to a care home amid a project to design objects for people with dementia.

The product is designed to be cuddled and has a beating heart within its soft body.

They can also play music of your choice to intensify comfort levels.

Dementia is a group of related symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning.

There are many different causes of dementia, and many different types.

Alzheimer's disease is a type of dementia and, together with vascular dementia, makes up the majority of cases, according to the NHS website.