Therapeutic effects of dog visits in nursing homes for the elderly

Thodberg, Karen; Sørensen, Lambert K.; Christensen, Janne Winther; Poulsen, Pia Haun; Houbak, Birthe; Damgaard, Vibeke; Keseler, Ingrid; Edwards, Deborah; Videbech, Poul

doi:10.1111/psyg.12159

Cited by 67 publications

(89 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Studies on cognitive disorders dominated the selected studies [38–44]. In four studies the patient conditions were psychiatric disorders, of which three included children or adolescents with psychiatric disorders and one included patients cared for in institutions due to psychiatric disorders [45–48].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the study by Thodberg et al the controls were either a visit from a person bringing a robot seal or a visit from a person bringing a soft-toy cat [44]. In the study by Bono et al the control group received no active intervention [41].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Seven trials studied cognitive disorders and were all categorized as DAA [38–44]. They differed in terms of patient population severity, which varied from mild cognitive impairment to severe dementia.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Friedman et al, Thodberg et al and Lutwack et al the control group participants were given another structured intervention [38, 42, 44]. In Majic et al, Olsen et al and Travers et al the control group was treated as usual [39, 40, 43].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Thodberg et al the sessions lasted only 10 min and the control group were activated with a robot seal or a soft toy cat. They found no effect in measures of depression [44]. Also in Lutwack et al the patients only received short sessions, the results showed no effect in measures of depression but a significant improvement in mood for those receiving visits from a therapy dog [38].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Patient benefit of dog-assisted interventions in health care: a systematic review

Lundqvist

Carlsson

Sjödahl

et al. 2017

BMC Complement Altern Med

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BackgroundDogs are the most common companion animal, and therefore not surprisingly a popular choice for animal-assisted interventions. Dog-assisted interventions are increasingly used in healthcare. The aim of the review was to conduct a systematic literature review of quantitative studies on dog-assisted interventions in healthcare, with the intention of assessing the effects and cost-effectiveness of the interventions for different categories of patients.MethodsA systematic review of the scientific literature reporting results of studies in healthcare, nursing home or home care settings, was conducted. The inclusion criteria applied for this review were: quantitative studies, inclusion of at least 20 study subjects, existence of a control and performed in healthcare settings including nursing homes and home care. The electronic databases PubMed, AMED, CINAHL and Scopus were searched from their inception date through January 2017, for published articles from peer-reviewed journals with full text in English.ResultsEighteen studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and were judged to be of at least moderate quality, were included in the analysis. Three of them showed no effect. Fifteen showed at least one significant positive effect but in most studied outcome measures there was no significant treatment effect. Dog-assisted therapy had the greatest potential in treatment of psychiatric disorders among both young and adult patients. Dog-assisted activities had some positive effects on health, wellbeing, depression and quality of life for patients with severe cognitive disorders. Dog-assisted support had positive effects on stress and mood.ConclusionsThe overall assessment of the included studies indicates minor to moderate effects of dog-assisted therapy in psychiatric conditions, as well as for dog-assisted activities in cognitive disorders and for dog-assisted support in different types of medical interventions. However, the majority of studied outcome measures showed no significant effect.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1844-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Patient benefit of dog-assisted interventions in health care: a systematic review

Lundqvist

Carlsson

Sjödahl

et al. 2017

BMC Complement Altern Med

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Digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults: An evidence and gap map

Welch,

Ghogomu,

Barbeau

et al. 2023

Campbell Systematic Reviews

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BackgroundSocial isolation and loneliness are more common in older adults and are associated with a serious impact on their well‐being, mental health, physical health, and longevity. They are a public health concern highlighted by the COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions, hence the need for digital technology tools to enable remotely delivered interventions to alleviate the impact of social isolation and loneliness during the COVID‐19 restrictions.ObjectivesTo map available evidence on the effects of digital interventions to mitigate social isolation and/or loneliness in older adults in all settings except hospital settings.Search MethodsWe searched the following databases from inception to May 16, 2021, with no language restrictions. Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, APA PsycInfo via Ovid, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science via Clarivate, ProQuest (all databases), International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS) via ProQuest, EBSCO (all databases except CINAHL), Global Index Medicus, and Epistemonikos.Selection CriteriaTitles and abstracts and full text of potentially eligible articles were independently screened in duplicate following the eligibility criteria.Data Collection and AnalysisWe developed and pilot tested a data extraction code set in Eppi‐Reviewer and data were individually extracted and coded based on an intervention‐outcome framework which was also used to define the dimensions of the evidence and gap map.Main ResultsWe included 200 articles (103 primary studies and 97 systematic reviews) that assessed the effects of digital interventions to reduce social isolation and/or loneliness in older adults. Most of the systematic reviews (72%) were classified as critically low quality, only 2% as high quality and 25% were published since the COVID‐19 pandemic. The evidence is unevenly distributed with clusters predominantly in high‐income countries and none in low‐income countries. The most common interventions identified are digital interventions to enhance social interactions with family and friends and the community via videoconferencing and telephone calls. Digital interventions to enhance social support, particularly socially assistive robots, and virtual pets were also common. Most interventions focused on reducing loneliness and depression and improving quality of life of older adults. Major gaps were identified in community level outcomes and process indicators. No included studies or reviews assessed affordability or digital divide although the value of accessibility and barriers caused by digital divide were discussed in three primary studies and three reviews. Adverse effects were reported in only two studies and six reviews. No study or review included participants from the LGBTQIA2S+ community and only one study restricted participants to 80 years and older. Very few described how at‐risk populations were recruited or conducted any equity analysis to assess differences in effects for populations experiencing inequities across PROGRESS‐Plus categories.Authors' ConclusionsThe restrictions placed on people during the pandemic have shone a spotlight onto social isolation and loneliness, particularly for older adults. This evidence and gap map shows available evidence on the effectiveness of digital interventions for reducing social isolation or loneliness in older adults. Although the evidence is relatively large and recent, it is unevenly distributed and there is need for more high‐quality research. This map can guide researchers and funders to consider areas of major gaps as priorities for further research.

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Therapeutic engagement in robot‐assisted psychological interventions: A systematic review

Riches

Azevedo

Vora

et al. 2021

Clin Psychology and Psychoth

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Purpose Therapeutic engagement is a key component of psychological interventions. Robot‐assisted psychological interventions appear to have therapeutic benefits for service users that are challenging to engage. However, engagement with robots in robot‐assisted psychological interventions is not well understood. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the quality of therapeutic engagement in robot‐assisted psychological interventions (PROSPERO: 122437). Methods Scopus, Web of Science, PsycInfo and Medline were searched until 15 January 2021 for studies which quantitatively evaluated therapeutic engagement in robot‐assisted psychological interventions. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) quality assessment tool was used to assess methodological dimensions of studies. Results 3647 studies were identified through database searching. Thirty studies (N = 1462), published between 2004 and 2020, and from 14 countries, were included. Robots were typically toy animals or humanoids and were used to provide support and improve wellbeing through social interaction. Studies primarily tested robots on older adults with dementia and children with autism and indicated positive therapeutic engagement. Twelve studies included a control group. EPHPP ratings were ‘strong’ (N = 1), ‘moderate’ (N = 10) and ‘weak’ (N = 19). Conclusions Therapeutic engagement between service users and robots is generally positive. Methodological limitations of studies, such as small sample sizes, and lack of control groups and longitudinal data, mean that the field is in early stages of its development and conclusions should be drawn with caution. There are important practical and ethical implications for policymakers to consider, such as responsible clinical practice and how service users may understand the therapeutic relationship with robots.

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Therapeutic effects of dog visits in nursing homes for the elderly

Cited by 67 publications

References 32 publications

Patient benefit of dog-assisted interventions in health care: a systematic review

Patient benefit of dog-assisted interventions in health care: a systematic review

Digital interventions to reduce social isolation and loneliness in older adults: An evidence and gap map

Therapeutic engagement in robot‐assisted psychological interventions: A systematic review

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