Animal-assisted Therapy Improves Cognitive and Emotion in Nursing Home Residents

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Supportive Care; Treatment; Prevention

• Registration Number: NCT06722144
• Lead Sponsor: Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan

Brief Summary

More than 80% of the residents of the investigator's nursing home are dementia, who are often mentally and emotionally unstable. The staff need to spend time helping to eliminate problems. The investigator assume that non-drug intervention measures can be added, such as the Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT). The hypothesis for ATT is expected to improve the mental and emotional inappropriate manifestations of dementia, reduce interfering behaviors, improve the quality of life, reduce the use of inappropriate mental drugs, and expect residents to delay the degradation of physiological functions.

Detailed Description

Nursing homes in the investigator's country accept dementia residents usually. The dementia residents often suffer from mental and emotional problems. Then they used drugs to improve the mental and emotional conditions. There were many studies about non-drug treatments ,such as: gardening, nostalgia, pets, and other interventions were improved for the mental and emotional to dementia residents.Well-trained therapy dogs exhibit the behavior that human patients construe as friendly and welcoming.AAT dogs are also required to possess a calm temperament for accommodating the contact with unfamiliar clients while they serve as a source of comfort. In domestic observational studies, non-pharmaceutical interventions for people with dementia who have activities and the hypothesis for ATT can improve the quality of care for dementia, reduce the use of mentally inappropriate drugs, and delay the degree of degeneration. Recent evidence has shown that nursing institutions with dementia arranged weekly activities with AAT for a period of 6 months. Significant improvement was in social interaction, emotional expression, and behavioral and psychological symptoms.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2024-03-14
• Study First Submitted: 2024-04-30
• Primary Completion: 2024-11-10
• Study Completion: 2024-11-20
• Status Verified: 2024-12
• Study First Submitted QC: 2024-12-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2024-12-04
• Study First Posted: 2024-12-09
• Last Update Posted: 2024-12-09

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 44

Inclusion Criteria

• Residents of long-term care homes
• No fear or allergy to dogs
• Wheelchair accessible persons
• Able to communicate in Mandarin and Taiwanese
• Agree to sign the subject consent form

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Exclusion Criteria

• Non-residents of nursing homes
• Fear and allergy to dogs
• Bedridden and wheelchair users
• Do not agree to sign the subject consent form

Note: Although many nursing home residents have symptoms of dementia, many have not been diagnosed by a doctor, so dementia and other related diseases cannot be included in the inclusion or exclusion criteria.

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Short Portable mental state questionnaire (SPMSQ)	The experimental and control groups were subjected to a pre-test after they were recruited. There are 12 times AAT, once a week.The AAT did in experimental group,then both groups, there are three post-tests were taken 8th、12th and 16th weeks.	This scale was adopted in this study to assess the participants' cognitive functions.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15)	The experimental and control groups were subjected to a pre-test after they were recruited. There are 12 times AAT, once a week.The AAT did in experimental group,then both groups, there are three post-tests were taken 8th、12th and 16th weeks.	The two scales were adopted in this study to assess the participants' depressive and the participants' emotion state
The Barthel Index	The experimental and control groups were subjected to a pre-test after they were recruited. There are 12 times AAT, once a week.The AAT did in experimental group,then both groups, there are three post-tests were taken 8th、12th and 16th weeks.	This index was adopted in this study to assess the participants' physical mobility and function.
The Brief Symptom Rating Scale(BSRS-5)	The experimental and control groups were subjected to a pre-test after they were recruited. There are 12 times AAT, once a week.The AAT did in experimental group,then both groups, there are three post-tests were taken 8th、12th and 16th weeks.	The participants' feeling healthy

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Taipei Veterans General Hospital; 🇨🇳 Taipei, Taiwan