Animal-Assisted Therapy Improves Communication and Mobility among Institutionalized People withCognitive Impairment
Autor: | Maylos Rodrigo-Claverol, Marta Ortega-Bravo, Belén Malla-Clua, Carme Marquilles-Bonet, Júlia Jové-Naval, Meritxell Sole-Pujol, Joaquim Sol |
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Rok vydání: | 2020 |
Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty Aging Activities of daily living Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis medicine.medical_treatment Animal-assisted therapy lcsh:Medicine Nursing homes nursing homes Article 03 medical and health sciences Dogs 0302 clinical medicine Animal Assisted Therapy animal-assisted therapy medicine Animals Humans Dementia Cognitive Dysfunction 030212 general & internal medicine Range of Motion Articular Cognitive decline Aged Balance (ability) cognitive impairment Primary health care Aged 80 and over business.industry Tinetti test aging lcsh:R Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Institutionalization medicine.disease Gait Clinical trial primary health care Cognitive impairment Physical therapy Female business 030217 neurology & neurosurgery dementia |
Zdroj: | Repositorio Abierto de la UdL Universitad de Lleida International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 17, Iss 5899, p 5899 (2020) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Volume 17 Issue 16 |
Popis: | Disorders of communication, social relationships, and psychomotricity are often characterized by cognitive impairment, which hinders daily activities and increases the risk of falls. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program in an institutionalized geriatric population with cognitive impairment. The variables evaluated included level of communication and changes in gait and/or balance. We performed a two-arm, parallel controlled, open-label, nonrandomized cluster clinical trial in two nursing home centers from an urban area. Patients in the two centers received 12 weekly sessions of physiotherapy, but the experimental group included AAT with a therapy dog. The study included a total of 46 patients (23 Control Group [CG], 23 Experimental Group [EG]) with a median age of 85.0 years. Of these, 32.6% had mild&ndash moderate cognitive decline (Global Deterioration Scale of Reisberg [GDS] 2&ndash 4) and 67.4% severe cognitive decline (GDS 5&ndash 6). After the intervention, patients in the CG and EG showed a statistically significant improvement in all the response variables. When comparing both groups, no statistically significant differences were found in any of the Tinetti scale results (measuring gait and balance). However, the communication of patients in the EG, measured on the Holden scale, showed a statistically significant greater improvement postintervention than that of patients in the CG. AAT can be useful as a complementary, effective treatment for patients with different degrees of cognitive decline. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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