Theorists have sug gested that dolls may serve as a "tran sitional object" (Stephens et al., 2013, p. 701) for individuals with dementia acting as an anchor" (Mi & O'Donnell, 2013, p. 330) in a period of uncertainty, similar to the blankets o soft toys that children use when mov ing toward adulthood Several studies described the ben efits of using dolls for nursing home residents with dementia.