Optimal Dog Visits
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Completed
- Sponsor
- University of Aarhus
- Enrollment
- 186
- Primary Endpoint
- Behavioural response during visits
Study Overview
Brief Summary
The aim of this project is to study how an the intensity of dog contact during dog visits in nursing homes can affect the immediate response to, and the general effect of the visits, and whether the residents' level of cognitive impairment affects the response and benefit of dog visits.
The participants are randomly assigned to receive one type of visits (12 visits in total) out of three possible visit types (1: visit with a dog; 2: visit with a dog, including a planned activity, 3 visit without a dog, including a planned activity). The residents received 2 visits per week for 6 weeks. The behaviour of the participants during visits is recorded. Before and after the intervention period, participants are scores on psychometric scales for cognitive impairment level, daily function level and symptoms of depression.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Interventional
- Allocation
- Randomized
- Intervention Model
- Parallel
- Primary Purpose
- Basic Science
- Masking
- None
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 60 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria
- •Being able to sit up during the visits
Exclusion Criteria
- •Dog allergy
- •Fear of dogs
- •Health problems that make participation unadvisable
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Behavioural response during visits
Time Frame: Behaviour is recorded in all of the 12 visits in the 6 week intervention period
The behaviour of the residents is recorded by direct observation using continuous recording. In all visits, the frequency and duration of talk and physical contact to the persons present are recorded. Talk is classified into talk about the dog and/or activity, depending on the visit type. In visits with dogs (D, DA), the frequency and duration of physical contact and talk directed to the dog are recorded, and in visits involving an activity (DA, A), the frequency and duration of the residents' involvement in the activity are recorded.
Secondary Outcomes
- Daily function level, before intervention(This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))
- Cognitive impairment level, after intervention(This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))
- Cognitive impairment level, before intervention(This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))
- Daily function level,, after intervention(This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))
- Symptoms of depression, before intervention(This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))
- Symptoms of depression, after intervention(This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits ))