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

(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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of environmental research and public health 2021-02, Vol.18 (4), p.1471
Main Authors: Vegue Parra, Eva, Hernández Garre, Jose Manuel, Echevarría Pérez, Paloma
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
Animal cognition
Animals
Anxiety Disorders
Apathy
Behavior
Dementia
Dementia - therapy
Dementia disorders
Dogs
Evaluation
Humans
Institutionalization
Memory
Mental disorders
Older people
Psychotherapy
Quality of life
Spain
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Summary:(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 ( = 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 ( = 0.022) or anxiety ( = 0.000) disorders, shorter institutionalization periods (r = -0.222, = 0.004), and those undergoing complementary psychotherapy ( = 0.033) or alternative therapy ( = 0.011). (4) Conclusions: Dog therapy is effective in improving the affective and behavioral aspects of institutionalized patients with dementia.
ISSN:1660-4601
1661-7827
1660-4601
DOI:10.3390/ijerph18041471