title: [Effectiveness of dog-assisted therapy in the elderly. A preliminary study].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Animal-assisted therapy is increasingly present in several educational and health areas. The aim of this study is to assess the effectiveness of such interventions in the elderly population living in residential settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 12-week dog-assisted intervention program was designed, with 16 participants from a nursing home divided into an experimental group and a control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several physical and psychological variables were assessed before and after the intervention. While there were no significant differences in the control group, the experimental group improved significantly after participating in the program.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results support the hypothesis that animal-assisted interventions may be beneficial for residents in elderly care homes.
authors: Departamento de Psicología, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España.
authors: Anabel
authors: A
authors: Folch
authors: Departamento de Psicología, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Centro de Investigación en Evaluación y Medida de la Conducta (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Laboratorio de Toxicología y Salud Medioambiental, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, España.
authors: Margarita
authors: M
authors: Torrente
authors: Departamento de Psicología, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Centro de Investigación en Evaluación y Medida de la Conducta (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Laboratorio de Toxicología y Salud Medioambiental, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, España.
authors: Luis
authors: L
authors: Heredia
authors: Departamento de Psicología, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Centro de Investigación en Evaluación y Medida de la Conducta (CRAMC), Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, España; Laboratorio de Toxicología y Salud Medioambiental, IISPV, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Reus, España. Electronic address: paloma.vicens@urv.cat.
authors: Paloma
authors: P
authors: Vicens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy; D000818:Animals; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes
keywords: AAT (animal assisted therapy); Ancianos; Cognitive impairment; Deterioro cognitivo; Dog; Elderly; Perro; TAA (terapia asistida con animales)