Optimal Dog Visits

NCT04635124 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: Optimal dog visits
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 186
• Locations: 0 countries
• Sites: N/A

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Dementia; Aging

Keywords

Animal-assisted therapy; visiting dog; non-pharmacological; nursing home

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• 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.

  Behaviour is recorded in all of the 12 visits in the 6 week intervention period

Secondary Outcomes (6)

• Cognitive impairment level, before intervention

  This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )

• Daily function level, before intervention

  This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )

• Symptoms of depression, before intervention

  This measure is obtained in the week preceeding the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )

• Cognitive impairment level, after intervention

  This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )

• Daily function level,, after intervention

  This measure is obtained in the week following the intervention period (6 weeks, 2 visits )

Study Arms (3)

1: Dog visit with a dog, no additional activity (D)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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

2: Dog visit with an additional activity (DA)

EXPERIMENTAL

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

3: Visit without dog, with an additional activity (A)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

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

Interventions

Dog visit BEHAVIORAL

An visitor visits the participant with a dog

1: Dog visit with a dog, no additional activity (D); 2: Dog visit with an additional activity (DA)

Encourage to engage in activity BEHAVIORAL

In each visit the visitor invites the participant to engage in an activitty

2: Dog visit with an additional activity (DA); 3: Visit without dog, with an additional activity (A)

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 60 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Being able to sit up during the visits

You may not qualify if:

• Dog allergy
• Fear of dogs
• Health problems that make participation unadvisable

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Aarhus: lead

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Dementia

Interventions

Exercise

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Neurocognitive Disorders; Mental Disorders

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Motor Activity; Movement; Musculoskeletal Physiological Phenomena; Musculoskeletal and Neural Physiological Phenomena

Study Officials

• Karen Thodberg

  University of Aarhus

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: BASIC SCIENCE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Model Details: The design of the study is a stratified and randomized complete block design. Each nursing home is a block. The participants are allocated randomly to one of the three visit types (1) Visits with a dog, no activity (D); 2) Visits with a dog, with activity (DA); or 3) Visits without dog, with an activity (A), balancing for the level of cognitive impairment, measured by the MMSE-scale. This was achieved by ranking the participants according to MMSE score within sex and allocating them to the three visit types by using different numerical orders in each nursing home (1, 2, 3; 3, 1, 2; 2, 3, 1 etc.).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: November 16, 2020
• First Posted: November 18, 2020
• Study Start: January 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: November 1, 2017
• Study Completion: November 1, 2017
• Last Updated: November 18, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-11

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share