An interventional study of Dog visit and Encourage to engage in activity in Dementia and Aging, sponsored by University of Aarhus. Completed. Open to participants aged 60 Years and older, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2020-11-18.
Sponsored by University of Aarhus · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science
The aim of this project is to study how an the intensity of dog contact during dog visits in nursing homes can affect the immediate response to, and the general effect of the visits, and whether the residents' level of cognitive impairment affects the response and benefit of dog visits.
The participants are randomly assigned to receive one type of visits (12 visits in total) out of three possible visit types (1: visit with a dog; 2: visit with a dog, including a planned activity, 3 visit without a dog, including a planned activity). The residents received 2 visits per week for 6 weeks. The behaviour of the participants during visits is recorded. Before and after the intervention period, participants are scores on psychometric scales for cognitive impairment level, daily function level and symptoms of depression.
2,172 studies on the registry are indexed under Dementia; 540 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 186 is above the median of 83 across 1,629 interventional studies indexed under Dementia.
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Exclusion Criteria:
The nursing home resident receives 12 10-minute visits in their own room. The visitor is accompanied with a dog, and the resident can touch the dog. Apart from the visitor, an observer is present.
Behavioral: Dog visit
The nursing home resident receives 12 10-minute visits in their own room. The visitor is accompanied with a dog, and the resident can touch the dog. During the visit, the visitor offers the resident to participate in an activity that involves interacting with the dog. Apart from the visitor, an observer is present.
Behavioral: Dog visit · Behavioral: Encourage to engage in activity
The nursing home resident receives 12 10-minute visits in their own room. During the visit, the visitor offers the resident to participate in an activity. Apart from the visitor, an observer is present, but no dog is present..
Behavioral: Encourage to engage in activity
An visitor visits the participant with a dog
In each visit the visitor invites the participant to engage in an activitty
Behavioural response during visits
The behaviour of the residents is recorded by direct observation using continuous recording. In all visits, the frequency and duration of talk and physical contact to the persons present are recorded. Talk is classified into talk about the dog and/or activity, depending on the visit type. In visits with dogs (D, DA), the frequency and duration of physical contact and talk directed to the dog are recorded, and in visits involving an activity (DA, A), the frequency and duration of the residents' involvement in the activity are recorded.
Time frame: Behaviour is recorded in all of the 12 visits in the 6 week intervention period
Cognitive impairment level, before intervention
All participants were scored on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), which gives information about the participants' cognitive status.The MMSE score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 30, respectively. The lower the score, the more severe the cognitively impairment level.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
Daily function level, before intervention
All participants were scored on The Gottfries-Bråne-Steen Scale (GBS), which is an evaluation of disabilities, language, psychiatric symptoms, average daily living function, and behaviour of the participants. The GBS score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 156, respectively. The lower the score, the more well-functioning the patient.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
Symptoms of depression, before intervention
All participants were scored on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), to screen for symptoms of depression. The GDS score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 15, respectively.A high score indicates more symptoms of depression.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
Cognitive impairment level, after intervention
All participants were scored on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), which gives information about the participants' cognitive status. The MMSE score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 30, respectively. The lower the score, the more severe the cognitively impairment level.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
Daily function level,, after intervention
All participants were scored on The Gottfries-Bråne-Steen Scale (GBS), which is an evaluation of disabilities, language, psychiatric symptoms, average daily living function, and behaviour of the participants. The GBS score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 156, respectively. The lower the score, the more well-functioning the patient.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
Symptoms of depression, after intervention
All participants were scored on the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), to screen for symptoms of depression. The GDS score has a minimum and maximum value of 0 and 15, respectively.A high score indicates more symptoms of depression.
Time frame: This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: No
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Nov 2020. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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University of Aarhus