Pet Therapy in Elderly Patients with Mental Illness
The article serves to discuss the effects of pet therapy on the mental processes and the overall well being of elderly inpatients who are affected by dementia, depression and psychosis. The participants in the study include elderly patients in selected nursing homes who are over 65 years old, and has been staying in the institution for 2 months. As a means to determine the baseline cognitive status and depressive symptoms, the participants went through the Mini-Mental State Examination and the 15-item Geriatic Depression scale. Accordingly, the intervention was administered within a 6-week duration in the nursing home, and it includes a 90-minute, once a week contact of the participants with dogs. The study showed that the pet group and the control group improved on GDS and MMSE. Within the pet group, GDS symptoms were reduced by 50%, while the mean MMSE score improved by 4.5 (P = 0.060). The group comparison indicated a positive effect of pet therapy intervention as the majority of the participants described an enhancement of their perceived quality of life.
The result of the study supports the findings in a previous research where it was found that Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has a positive effect on the overall wellbeing of people suffering from dementia. An article by Filan and Llewellyn-Jones (2006) showed that there was a noticeable reduction of agitation and aggression, as well as a positive impact on social behavior of patients. The result of the study can be associated with the theory of affective– emotional mechanism, which suggest that human–animal bond acts as a relaxing stimulant on the adrenal and other corticosteroid hormones that induce a reduction of arterial pressure and cardiorespiratory rates (Moretti et al, 2011).
Resident and Therapist Views of Animal-Assisted Therapy:
Implications for Occupational Therapy Practice
This article offers the discussion of the few studies that investigated the impact of animal-assisted therapy based on the perspective of the occupational therapy professional. In order to examine the impact of AAT from the standpoint of a therapist, three qualitative studies was considered to explore the meaning of AAT.
According to the study conducted by Ferrese et al (1998) and Witt (2002), occupational therapists view pet care as an a) occupation-based activity, b) purposeful activity and c) as a preparatory method (Verde et al, 2005). The therapy can be designed as a preparatory method, for instance, bonding with a pet in a single session may be used to facilitate specific social responses. Later, the social skill that was learned during the therapy can be used in another treatment settings. It was established from the study by Ferrese et al that AAT plays a vital role “in providing a responsive environment to individuals in residential care” (Velde et al, 2005). Moreover, the case study by Witt (2002) suggested how occupational therapists points the importance of recognizing AAT as a tool that can be used by professional occupational therapists. However, the positive impact of AAT in treating patients has raised several concerns such as the need for occupational therapists “to develop policies and procedures such as identification of patients who may have pet allergies” (Velde et al, 2005).
The findings in this article validate the claim in another study suggesting that AAT can help in achieving therapeutic goals such as enhanced quality life, and occupational therapists and other professionals can assist in facilitating treatment (Morrison, 2007).
Long-term evaluation of animal-assisted therapy
for institutionalized elderly people: A preliminary result
The purpose of this research was to assess the long-term impact of AAT on both the psychological well being and behavior of elderly residents of a nursing home. The study was conducted through a scheduled visit by volunteers taking small dogs in a residential nursing home in Japan. The visit was held twice a month and the residents (10 participants) were allowed to play with the dogs for about 30-minutes within the 2-hour session. The data collection method used was the GBS Scale Japanese Version and the Mental Function Impairment Scale (Kawamura et al, 2007).
The result of the study showed that the total scores using the BGSS and the MEMFIS decreased in the first 6 months, while it eventually increased during the remaining 6 months. This was an indication that there was an initial improvement in the patients, but this was changed after the after a considerable period. However, in the measurement of emotional function using MENFIS, the continuous decrease was interpreted to mean that there was a constant improvement in the patient’s emotional well being. Further, the result of the study indicated a need to re-consider the condition of the patients for the needed adjustments after six months.
In a previous study of animal assisted therapy in nursing homes, it was found that AAT was effective in considerably reducing loneliness. It was established that there was a high level of loneliness among residents, that even in its reduced state, it was still considered to be high. It was therefore advised that an increased number of sessions and longer durations of therapy will be implemented to have a better outcome (Banks & Banks, 2001).
Therapeutic Effects of Dog Visits in Nursing Homes for the Elderly
This article discusses the effects of a twice a week dog visit on elderly people’s sleep duration and psychiatric health. The study was conducted with among randomly selected 100 residents of nursing homes who were visited twice a week within 6 weeks. The researchers measure the sleep patterns with the use of actigraphy technology before the start of the study, in the 3rd and 6th week and afterwards the study. The measuring scale used before and after the visitation are the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Gottfries-Bråne-Steen Scale, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (Thodberg et al, 2015).
The result of the examination indicated that there is an increased sleep duration measured in minutes by the 3rd week when the visitors brought with them a dog. However, there was no observable effect found during the 6th week visit or even after the study period has ended. The researchers were able to establish that the type of visits had no impact on weight, body mass index, Geriatric Depression Scale, Gottfries-Bråne-Steen Scale or Mini-Mental State Examination, however, the study established a reduction in the Geriatric Depression Scale at the time of observation (Thodberg et al, 2015). It was concluded that the type of visit did not have an impact in the long-term mental condition of the residents, and the effect of dog-accompanied visits on sleep duration requires further research (Thodberg et al, 2015).
While there was a minimal study on the effect of animal assisted activity on the sleep pattern of the elderly, it was “irrefutable that the majority of the staff and patients develop a smile in interest” (Matuszek, 2010). Practitioners consider a smile from their patient as a positive indication of social interaction.
Effect of a companion dog on depression and anxiety levels
of elderly residents in a long-term care facility
The article discusses the study conducted to examine how a companion dog impacts the depression and anxiety levels of residents in a long-term care facility. Dogs are known to cause a positive effect on the psychological well being of humans, and the study aims to further validate the hypothesis about the effect of companion dogs can relieve depression and anxiety among the elderly. The researchers requested the participation of elderly residents from Nerina place which is a home for the elderly located in Bishop Lavis. Beck Depression Inventory and the Beck Anxiety Inventory were used to measure the level of depression and anxiety respectively. There are two groups in the study, the AAA group who receive 30-minute visitation and the control group (Le Roux and Kemp, 2009).
The result of the study validates the result of several studies that animal assisted activities can help in the reduction of depression levels of residents in long-term facilities. While a study by Motomora et al suggested that AAA has no effect on depression scores, it was reported that most of the residents were happy for receive visits from people with dogs. There is an indication that some of the participants' positive feedback was immeasurable or that the study was not designed to measure some of the factors in the study. In the present study, there was improvement in the social interaction as conveyed by remarks such as ‘we talked to each other about the dog’. Residents in long term facilities often feel that they are not needed and the presence of pets around gives them the feeling that are needed. Moreover, the residents can stroke their warm, furry visitors, facilitating social behavior and encouraging physical movement (Reiman, n.d).
References
Banks, M., & Banks, M. (2001). The effects of animal-assisted therapy on loneliness in an elderly Population in long-term care facilities. The Journal of Gerontology, 57(7), 428-432.
Filan, S., & Llewellyn-Jones, R. (2006). Animal assisted therapy for dementia: A review of the literature. International Psychogeriatrics, 18(4), 597-611.
Kawamura, N., Niiyama, M., & Niiyama, H. (2007). Long-term evaluation of animal-assisted therapy for institutionalized elderly people: a preliminary result. Psychogeriatrics, 7, 8-13.
Le Roux, M., & Kemp, R. (2009). Effect of a companion dog on depression and anxiety levels of elderly residents in a long-term care facility. Psychogeriatrics, 9, 23-26.
Matuszek, S. (2010) Animal-facilitated therapy in various patient populations. Retrieved from http://saddlesforsoldiers.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Animal_Facilitated_Therapy_in_Various_Patient.3.pdf
Moretti, F., De Ronchi, D., Bernabei, V., Marchetti, L., Ferrari, B., Forlani, C., & Negretti, F. (2011). Pet therapy in elderly patients with mental illnesspsyg_329 125..129.Psychogeriatrics, 11, 125-129.
Morrison, M. (2007). Health benefits of animal-assisted interventions.Complementary Health Practice Review, 12(51).
Reiman, S. (n.d) Therapy Dogs in the Long-Term Health Care Environment. Therapy Dogs of Vermont. Retrieved from http://www.therapydogs.org/documents/Therapy%20Dogs%20in%20the%20Long.pdf
References
Thodberg, K., Sorensen, L., Christensen, J., Poulsen, P., Houbak, B., Damgaard, V., & Keseler, I. (2015). Therapeutic effects of dog visits in nursing homes for the elderly. Psychogeriatrics.
Velde, B., Cipriani, J., & Fisher, G. (2005). Resident and therapist views of animal-assisted therapy: Implications for occupational therapy practice. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 52, 43-50.
