The Evaluation of an Animal Assisted Therapy Intervention for Elders with Dementia in Long-Term Care

This study examined the effects of animal assisted therapy (AAT) on the social and agitated behaviors of elders with dementia residing in long-term care. A purposefully selected sample of four elders from one skilled nursing facility in a rural community participated in the study. Utilizing an A-B-A-B design, elders were videotaped for 15 minutes each day of the study and two coders tallied the presence and frequency of each of the designated behaviors for each elder. A statistically reliable difference in the social behavior category (t = -29.36, p < .0001) and the total agitated behaviors category (t = 7.05, p < .0001) indicated that the behaviors targeted by the intervention were successfully modified. This intervention demonstrates potential for increasing the quality of life for elders with dementia in long-term care facilities through increasing social and decreasing agitated behaviors. (C) 2005 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.