There is a need to develop nonpharmacological treatments and methods which can serve
as alternatives or complements to medications in dementia care. Previous research
indicates that animal-assisted intervention (AAI) can be beneficial. The purpose of the
present pilot project was to evaluate effects of AAI on quality of life (QoL) in people with
dementia in four Swedish nursing homes. A pretest/posttest research design was used.
Twenty people (12 women, 8 men; aged 58 to 88) were included. Nine people completed�…

The present work assesses the efficacy of an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program in the
reduction of neuropsychiatric symptoms in older adults with medium to severe dementia.
Performed in an Alzheimer's disease/dementia care unit, the intervention included 11 elderly
residents aged 71 to 93 years (mean age= 82.91 years; mean Mini-Mental State
Examination score= 7.8/30). Behaviors during the AAT sessions as well as pre/post
intervention neuropsychiatric symptoms were examined during this 5-month weekly�…