Animal Assisted Intervention In Dementia

Nearly 135 million people worldwide will be impacted by dementia by 2050 (Robinson, Tang, Taylor,. 2015). Dementia is not a disease, it is an overall term that describes a wide range of symptoms associated with the decline in memory and thinking skills. Dementia is a progressive illness that results in the loss of one’s sense of self (Burns, Byrne, Ballard, Holmes, 2002). The two most common forms of dementia are Alzheimer’s disease and Vascular dementia. Dementia is progressive and people with dementia experience complications with short-term memory, keeping track of personal items, paying bills, taking care of themselves and daily tasks (Haigh, Mytton, 2016). Due to the rising number of individuals developing dementia, it is causing major challenges in the healthcare systems and society (Angermeter, Luck, Then, Riedel-Heller, 2016). Utilizing psychotropic medications are often ineffective or harmful to the individual, therefore, many patients decide to utilize sensory therapy as a form of treatment instead (Livingston, Kelly olmes, et al., 2014). Caregivers of individuals with dementia can also experience health consequences related to caregiving at the end of life. Spousal caregivers are 40.5% higher odds of experiencing frailty as a result of caregiving (Carr, Dassel, 2017). Dementia does not only affect the individual, it affects those around them, society, and the healthcare system.

Florence Nightingale was the first person to recognize the therapeutic potential of animals in the late 1800s. Nightingale is considered the founder of modern nursing which enabled her to make such discoveries by observing the impact animals had on her medical patients. She discovered that the company of a small pet reduced anxiety in children and adults that resided in psychiatric institutions and recorded her findings in her book “Notes on Nursing”. With Nightingale’s involuntary record of these human-animal interactions, animal-assisted therapy approaches began to flourish.

Temporary sadness, grief, or blue moods is considered as normal. However, when these blue moods exist persistently for two or more weeks, it is classified as the depression. Therefore, assessing an older adult’s depression is a way to know their functional status. Geriatric Depression Scales originally had 30 questions and was a self-report assessment tool. It was then reduced to 15 questions due to the validity of these 15 questions. (Mitchell, Bird, Rizzo, & Meader, 2010). As aforementioned, the questions in the GDS were designed based on the signs and symptoms of depression. Iliades (2011) stated that depressed patients would have problems with motivation, fatigue, sleep patterns, suicidality or hopelessness. In GDS, the questions such as “do you feel full of energy” and “do you prefer to stay at home, rather than going out and doing new things?” are to assess the older adults motivation or fatigue. Moreover, the questions such as “do you feel pretty worthless the way you are now?”, “do you feel that your situation is hopeless?” or “Are you hopeful about the future?” are to assess the older adults’

In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.

The purpose of this research is to review factors that trigger elderly depression states, their physical and mental health conditions,

More than 5 million Americans currently have dementia in the United States and this number is projected to rise to between 8 and 13 million by 2050 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Dementia is known to become more prevalent with age, increasing from 5 to 10 percent in people over 65 years of age to almost one half of people over the age of 85 (Alzheimer’s Association, 2015). Although family members provide the majority of care for people with dementia, increasing needs over time often lead to placement in a long-term care setting. Dementia is the most common reason for entry into long-term care facilities (Zimmerman, 2013) and nearly 90% of persons with dementia will have at least one stay at a nursing home in their lifetime (Grunier, 2007).

The Geriatric Depression Scale is a 30 question self-report assessment used to identify depression in the elderly (Mental Disorders, 2013). The questions are answered with “yes” or “no”, and ask things such as “Do you feel happy most of the time”, or “Are you hopeful of the future”(NeuorscienceCME, 2013). The points scored on the test depend on the question; there is an answer grid. For example, the question “Do you feel that your life is empty” should be answered with no. It the elderly person answers with “no”, then no point is given. If they answer with “yes”, then a point is added (Mental Disorders, 2013). The lower you score on the test, the less likely you are to be depressed (NeuroscienceCME, 2013). The Scale is also available in a 15, 5, or even 1 question format (Edelman, 2010). The assessment is useful because it allows health professionals to know how the patient feels, their mind set, which will allow that patient to receive treatment in the form of therapy or antidepressant medication (Edelman,

According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014), about one in every 68 children is identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD is a developmental disorder that is characterized by difficulties in communication, social interactions, and behaviors. Though many are aware of the social symptoms of ASD, the DSM-V added the symptom of “hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory stimuli or unusual interest in the sensory aspects of the environment, for example, apparent indifference to pain/temperature [or] adverse response to specific sounds or textures” (Fuentes et al. 2014). Another symptom of ASD that many may be unfamiliar with is the major safety concern of elopement, which is dangerous bolting, that

These animals help people clear their heads and think about something else (Christiansen). They also help people snap out of what they are thinking about. They can also be trained to search homes for intruders to help people feel much safer at home (“Veteran with PTSD”). Along with helping us feel safer they can make people feel like they have a purpose in life, causing them to then become instantly happy (Siddiqui; Falligant). The animals can also do simple things like house chores. For example, they can flip light switches on and off (Siddiqui). So now people who have a hard time standing up or walking can have their animal help them with the chores. The animals can also achieve a task in various locations (“What is animal”). Since they are mainly directed toward youth, it increases their socializing with other people, and help to improve their behavior (“Benefits of Pet”; Falligant). With some patients, they have a hard time accessing their emotions, so the animals can help them do that (“What is animal”). Animal assisted therapy has many benefits no matter the age of the

The research proposal suggests that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can be beneficial to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Altschuler, 2018). expresses the information from the media is often much more detailed and less filtered than those of medical reports as they use these media stories as their resources for compiling the research proposal. The author expresses their concern for the cost and timeliness of a full-out research study and so they decided to conduct a research proposal to support their ideologies of the importance of AAT with PTSD treatment. Altschuler (2018) suggests that animals can be used to dramatically improve PTSD symptoms, potential benefit from AAT with multiple different animals, and that AAT

A 76 year old single female was admitted to the senior care unit to be treated for her depression. This is the patient’s second episode of severe depression in seven years where she is becoming debilitated evident of unable to communicate effectively, decrease mobility, and a decline in appetite . According to her family the patients depression was triggered after returning from the Grand Canyon to celebrate the patient’s 76 birthday. The patient will undergo seven sessions of Dialectical Behavior Therapy to treat her depression in hopes of assessing for the patient’s diagnoses subsiding with increase social functioning.

A number of studies have proven that animal assisted therapies can reduce anxiety and depression, reduce loneliness in the elderly, provide an inviting environment within the therapeutic setting and increase rapport building between client and

Berget, Bente, Øivind Ekeberg, and Bjarne O. Braastad. "Animal-assisted therapy with farm animals for persons with psychiatric disorders: effects on self-efficacy, coping ability and quality of life, a randomized controlled trial." Clinical practice and epidemiology in mental health 4.1 (2008): 9.

Compressive Geriatric Assessment is more a complete exam than a regular standard medical exam. Including a history of medicine, a physical exam, a person’s daily activities, mobility and mental health. The patient case is discussed and reviewed by a transdisciplinary team.

Kanamori et. al. sought to determine the usefulness of animal-assisted therapy (AAT) in improving cognitive and physical functioning as well as endochrinological stress in senile dementia patients. This studied implemented AAT for six bi-weekly sessions in an adult day care center. The test group had a total of seven subjects, compared with a control group of 20. Researchers used the MMSE, Nishimura’s Activities of Daily Living (N-ADL), behavioral pathology of Alzheimer’s Disease (Behave-AD), and a salivary CgA test that measures mental stress.The study was conducted in Japan, where AAT is a newer concept than in the west. With a rapidly aging population the Japanese are seeking new avenues for treating age related disorders like dementia. Researchers used an animal handler that had interned with the Delta Society, a U.S. based AAT network. While quantitative and relying on statistical research, the study also featured anecdotal case studies from two of the participants. The study used a wide range of instruments to measure changes, but struggled to implement them with all participants. Researchers struggled to get a saliva sample from all participants, something that could be improved upon in further research. Other consideration for this study are the impact of cultural outlooks on pets and animals in general in Japan versus in the West where AAT is used most.