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Dog visits in nursing homes - increase complexity or keep it simple? A randomised controlled study.
Karen Thodberg1, Poul B Videbech2, Tia G B Hansen3
1Department of Animal Science, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Dog visits without activities encourage nursing home resident interaction. Adding activities may decrease engagement for severely impaired residents, suggesting tailored approaches for optimal animal-assisted therapy outcomes.
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Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Animal-Assisted Interventions
- Cognitive Impairment Research
Background:
- Nursing home residents often experience social isolation and reduced engagement.
- Animal-assisted interventions, particularly dog visits, are explored to improve well-being.
- The impact of cognitive status on resident response to animal visits requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the immediate responses of nursing home residents to dog visits with or without added activities.
- To assess the influence of residents' cognitive ability on their interaction during these visits.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 174 nursing home residents.
- Three groups received bi-weekly 10-minute visits: dog only (D), dog with activity (DA), or activity only (A).
- Interactions (verbal, physical) with dogs and people were recorded and analyzed across three periods.
Main Results:
- Both visit type and cognitive impairment level influenced resident interaction with dogs.
- Increased cognitive impairment reduced interaction (touching, talking) with dogs during dog-and-activity visits.
- Residents talked less to people during dog-and-activity visits compared to dog-only or activity-only visits.
Conclusions:
- Dog visits without specific activities effectively stimulated resident interaction.
- Adding activities to dog visits decreased interaction for severely cognitively impaired residents.
- Tailoring dog visit complexity to cognitive ability is crucial for maximizing resident engagement.