Benefits of Dog-Assisted Therapy in Patients with Dementia Residing in Aged Care Centers in Spain

Abstract

(1) Background: Currently, the scientific evidence on the benefits of assisted therapy with dogs in dementia is not clear. In this study, we want to evaluate such benefits through a randomized controlled clinical trial in multiple centers across the country. (2) Methods: The participants were people over 65 years old with dementia, residing in senior centers in Spain (n = 334). The experimental group underwent assisted therapy with dogs based on the Comprehensive Cognitive Activation Program in Dementia, for 8 months, with weekly sessions of 45 min. Data were collected at the commencement, middle, and end of the program, to evaluate the aspects using the Mini-Examination Cognitive, the modified Bartell Index, the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia and the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. (3) Results: The results show significant improvements in the experimental group versus the control group in the affective (T1 = p 0.000; T2 = p 0.000) and behavioral (T1 = p 0.005; T2 = p 0.000) aspects, with the affective aspect displaying greater progress in participants with additional depressive (p = 0.022) or anxiety (p = 0.000) disorders, shorter institutionalization periods (r = −0.222, p = 0.004), and those undergoing complementary psychotherapy (p = 0.033) or alternative therapy (p = 0.011). (4) Conclusions: Dog therapy is effective in improving the affective and behavioral aspects of institutionalized patients with dementia.

Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Gait Performance, Respiratory Function, and Psychological Variables in Patients Post-Stroke

“…However, Theis et al (2020) showed that AAT triggers positive emotions and low levels of arousal in patients with acquired brain injury [39]. Changes in mood after AAT can have an effect on depression and rehabilitation motivation due to the positive emotions generated in patients while enjoying spending time with the animal [40,41]. These findings are consistent with previous studies showing that AAT improves patients' post-stroke memory [39], patient participation [20], and mood [18].…”

Animal-assisted and robotic animal-assisted interventions within dementia care: A systematic review

“…Fifteen studies reported depression as an outcome. In 9 studies (7 = animal-assisted interventions; 2 = robotic animal interventions), a significant improvement in depression scores were reported (Friedmann et al, 2015; Jøranson et al, 2015; Majic et al, 2013; Menna et al, 2016; Menna et al, 2019; Olsen, Pedersen, Bergland, Enders-Slegers, Patil, et al, 2016; Parra et al, 2021; Petersen et al, 2017; Travers et al, 2013). Three animal-assisted intervention studies reported improvement in depression scores as an outcome of the intervention but was not found to be significant (Friedmann et al, 2019; Mossello et al, 2011; Santaniello et al, 2020).…”

Effects of Dog-Assisted Therapies on Cognitive Mnemonic Capabilities in People Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The most used are “Doll Therapy”, which emerged in the 1980s in the USA and Australia [ 6 ]; art therapy and music therapy, which aim to enrich the lives of people affected by dementia; and writing therapy, with which patients may remember long-past memories, recall and process past emotions, and induce a deeper self-talk [ 7 ]. Among these integrative therapies, animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) play a major role [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The IAHAIO (International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations) White Paper 2014 (IAHAIO.org) defined AAIs as “ a goal oriented and structured intervention that intentionally includes or incorporates animals in health, education and human services for the purpose of therapeutic gains in humans ”.…”

“…AAIs represent a very complex system of relational feedbacks based on physical gestures and attitudes, as well as activation of emotional sense–motor models between the two different species involved. Based on the scientific literature, different animal species (dogs, horses, cats, fish, canaries) are involved in AAIs but it seems that dogs, more than others, help to build a relationship based on greater reciprocity with deeper therapeutic effects [ 10 , 20 , 21 ]. Moreover, due to ethological characteristics, dogs not only learn through play, just like children, but are prone to establishing active relationships, communications, and interactions [ 22 ].…”

“…Moreover, due to ethological characteristics, dogs not only learn through play, just like children, but are prone to establishing active relationships, communications, and interactions [ 22 ]. In recent years, several studies have been conducted on the effectiveness of dog-assisted therapies in AD patients [ 10 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 ], but some studies concluded that the improvements observed were not always significant [ 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”