title: Effect of animal-assisted activity on balance and quality of life in home-dwelling persons with dementia.
abstract: Purpose of the study was to examine if animal-assisted activity with a dog (AAA) in home-dwelling persons with dementia (PWDs) attending day-care centers would have an effect on factors related to risk of fall accidents, with balance (Berg balance scale) and quality of life (Quality of Life in Late-stage Dementia) as main outcome. The project was conducted as a prospective and cluster-randomized multicenter trial with a follow-up. 16 adapted day-care centers recruited respectively 42 (intervention group) and 38 (control group with treatment as usual) home-dwelling PWDs. The intervention consisted of 30 min sessions with AAA led by a qualified dog handler twice a week for 12 weeks in groups of 3-7 participants. The significant positive effect on balance indicates that AAA might work as a multifactorial intervention in dementia care and have useful clinical implication by affecting risk of fall.
  
  
  
  ClinicalTrial.gov; NCT02008630.
authors.affiliation: Section for Public Health Science, Department of Landscape, Architecture and Spatial Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway. Electronic address: christine.olsen@nmbu.no.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Section for Public Health Science, Department of Landscape, Architecture and Spatial Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo and Akershus University College, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Astrid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bergland
authors.affiliation: Psychology and Educational Sciences, Open University of the Netherlands, Heerlen, Netherlands.
authors.forename: Marie-José
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Enders-Slegers
authors.affiliation: Section for Public Health Science, Department of Landscape, Architecture and Spatial Planning, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway; Faculty of Health and Social Work Studies, Østfold University College, Fredrikstad, Norway.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ihlebæk
mesh_terms: D000069537:Adult Day Care Centers; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Balance; Day-care center; Dementia; Geriatric; Home-dwelling; Quality of life