The transition from community dwelling to a nursing home is a common, though idiosyncratic, experience in the United States. This study employed an interpretive phenomenological approach to uncover how eight older adults in nursing homes in the Midwestern U.S. constructed the meaning of home shortly following the relocation and again approximately two months later. The degree to which the individual had been involved in the decision making process was also explored as it related to the meaning of home within the nursing home setting. The majority of individuals did not consider the facility to be “home,” but actively changed their attitudes toward the facility and themselves to better adjust to the setting. The findings demonstrate the importance of autonomy in older adults’ definitions of home.

BackgroundLarge numbers of post-deployment U.S. veterans are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or traumatic brain injury (TBI), leading to an urgent need for effective interventions to reduce symptoms and increase veterans’ coping. PTSD includes anxiety, flashbacks, and emotional numbing. The symptoms increase health care costs for stress-related illnesses and can make veterans’ civilian life difficult.MethodsWe used a randomized wait-list controlled design with repeated measures of U.S. military veterans to address our specific aim to test the efficacy of a 6-week therapeutic horseback riding (THR) program for decreasing PTSD symptoms and increasing coping self-efficacy, emotion regulation, social and emotional loneliness.Fifty-seven participants were recruited and 29 enrolled in the randomized trial. They were randomly assigned to either the horse riding group (n = 15) or a wait-list control group (n = 14). The wait-list control group experienced a 6-week waiting period, while the horse riding group began THR. The wait-list control group began riding after 6 weeks of participating in the control group.Demographic and health history information was obtained from all the participants. PTSD symptoms were measured using the standardized PTSD Checklist-Military Version (PCL-M).The PCL-M as well as other instruments including, The Coping Self Efficacy Scale (CSES), The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-short version (SELSA) were used to access different aspects of individual well-being and the PTSD symptoms.ResultsParticipants had a statistically significant decrease in PTSD scores after 3 weeks of THR (P ≤ 0.01) as well as a statistically and clinically significant decrease after 6 weeks of THR (P ≤ 0.01). Logistic regression showed that participants had a 66.7% likelihood of having lower PTSD scores at 3 weeks and 87.5% likelihood at 6 weeks. Under the generalized linear model(GLM), our ANOVA findings for the coping self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and social and emotional loneliness did not reach statistical significance. The results for coping self-efficacy and emotion regulation trended in the predicted direction. Results for emotional loneliness were opposite the predicted direction. Logistic regression provided validation that outcome effects were caused by riding longer.ConclusionThe findings suggest that THR may be a clinically effective intervention for alleviating PTSD symptoms in military veterans.

This study provides evidence for the association between dog walking and physical health using a large, nationally representative sample. The relationship with one's dog may be a positive influence on physical activity for older adults.

AAA may be introduced into facilities without creating the perception of extra stress or work for staff members. Providing staff the opportunity to interact with visiting AAA teams may be beneficial for the success of such programs. The human handler in AAA teams may play a vital role in the staff acceptance of such programs.

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Purpose: To qualitatively describe and compare the expectations and experiences of living with a mobility or medical service dog among those with a physical disability or chronic condition. Materials and methods:A total of 64 participants living with a service dog and 27 on the waitlist to receive a service dog participated in a cross-sectional open-ended survey. Qualitative content analysis was used to identify themes and sub-themes.Results: A total of 101 codes were summarized into themes of Physical Benefits, Psychosocial Benefits, and Drawbacks to having a service dog. Psychosocial benefits included the humananimal relationship as well as emotional, quality of life, and social benefits. Drawbacks included service dog care, public access and education, lifestyle adjustments, and dog behaviour. While participants on the waitlist were more likely to anticipate physical benefits of having a service dog, those with a service dog largely described psychosocial benefits. Findings also suggest that some drawbacks, such as public discrimination, may be unanticipated by the waitlist. Conclusions:A comparison of expectations and experiences of service dog ownership highlights both the positive and negative aspects of the service dog-owner relationship and identifies potential aspects of having a service dog that may be unanticipated or overestimated by those on the waitlist.

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Aims and objectives To examine the effect of working with a facility dog on paediatric healthcare professionals’ work‐related burnout, job perceptions and mental health. Background Due to their roles caring for ill children and distressed families, paediatric healthcare professionals often experience substantial depression and burnout. According to prior research, facility dogs in children's hospitals may provide significant benefits to paediatric patients. However, their potential effects on healthcare professionals have been minimally explored. Design A cross‐sectional design was used in adherence to the STROBE checklist. Method Among 130 participants, n = 65 paediatric healthcare professionals working with a facility dog were compared to n = 65 control participants matched on age, gender identity, job position category and pet ownership. Hierarchical regression assessed the effect of working with a facility dog on standardised self‐report measures of work‐related burnout, job perceptions and mental health. Results For work‐related burnout, working with a facility dog was associated with higher perceived personal accomplishment, but had no effect on emotional exhaustion. With respect to job perceptions, working with a facility dog was associated with more positive job descriptions and lower intention to quit, but not with perceptions about co‐workers or workplace social support. Finally, in relation to mental health, working with a facility dog was associated with more positive emotions, better perceived mental health and less depression, but had no effect on anxiety. Conclusion Findings suggest that facility dogs may be related to several benefits for healthcare professionals’ work‐related burnout, job perceptions and mental health, but that they do not influence all components of these areas. Relevance to clinical practice The present research functions to inform personnel in paediatric hospitals with existing facility dog programmes on the scope of their effects, in addition to shaping the expectations of hospitals considering the addition of a facility dog programme.