Dog visits in nursing homes - increase complexity or keep it simple? A randomised controlled study.

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.