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conferenceseries
.com
Volume 6, Issue 4 (Suppl)
J Nurs Care, an open access journal
ISSN: 2167-1168
World Nursing 2017
July 10-12, 2017
23
rd
World Nursing and Healthcare Conference
July 10-12, 2017 Berlin, Germany
The effect of diferent therapeutic dog programs on institutioalized residents with dementia
Ming-Lee Yeh
and
Yi-Ning Feng
National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taiwan.
St.Joseph Home, Hsinchu, Taiwan
T
he purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different therapeutic Dog Programs on improving agitation, depressivemood
and social interaction of institutionalized residents with Dementia. A quasi-experimental design was applied. Fifteen residents
with moderate-severe Dementia living in a Dementia Continuing Care Nursing Home were selected by convenience sampling. 15
participants were divided equally into three groups: Animal-Assisted Therapy group (AAT), Animal-Assisted Activity group (AAA),
and Control group without dogs. The experiment continued for two weeks, four times a week, 40 minutes per each. During this
experimental period, the AAT group experienced structured AAT activities led by qualified AAT Specialist, and the AAA group
was exposed in an unstructured AAA nursing care activities with dogs, while the Control group was given common daily nursing
care only. Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI), Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), Multidimensional
Observation Scale of Elderly Subjects (MOSES), and observing records for negative agitation, depressed mood, social interaction, and
positive behavior, were applied for evaluation. The results of this study showed that 1) both structured AAT group and unstructured
AAA have obviously improved participants’ negative agitation, depressed mood, social interaction, and positive behavior; 2) AAT
group led by professional AAT specialist has significantly better improving effect on participants’ “self-care function” and “disorder
behavior” than the unstructured AAA group. The above results reveal the importance of AAT specialists on attaining therapeutic
goals. This research 1) supports nursing homes to involve AAT or AAA programs into their daily cares; 2) highly recommends the
specialist led AAT programs for improving residents’ behavioral, emotional, and social functions; 3) suggests to increase the exposure
times of activities, if using unstructured AAA design.
Biography
Ming-Lee Yeh is an assistant professor in the National Tapei University of Nursing and Health Scienses. She is also the founder of The Professional Animal Assisted
Therapy Association of Taiwan. This NGO proposes the concept of “Golden Triangle AAT model”, and also creates the first AAT specialist training program in
Taiwan. Yi-Ning Feng is a Head Nurse in the St.Joseph Home and also a certified AAT specialist in dementia care.
Ming-Lee Yeh et al., J Nurs Care 2017, 6:4(Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2167-1168-C1-049