More research needed on animal-assisted interventions in dementia

Commentary on: OlsenCPedersenIBerglandA. Effect of animal-assisted interventions on depression, agitation and quality of life in nursing home residents suffering from cognitive impairment or dementia: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry2016;31:1312–21.

Implications for practice and research

Animal-assisted interventions may support quality of life and decrease the degree of depressivity in patients with dementia in nursing homes.

Larger definitive trials are needed to confirm effectiveness of animal-assisted interventions in people suffering from dementia.

Context

There is a growing body of evidence indicating that animal-assisted interventions in patients suffering from dementia in nursing homes may prove effective in improving quality of life; however, mixed results have been reported with respect to whether these interventions work and which outcomes they may alter.1–3 In addition, research in this field often yields effects where the intervention group remains relatively stable, while the control group gets worse. A recent...

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