Dog visits to home dwelling elderly people suffering from loneliness- a study in progress NORDIC RESEARCH CONFERENCE IN GREEN CARE AND NATURE-BASED INTERVENTIONS 31.10 1.11 2017 Berit Johannessen RN, Phd Photo: Mathilde Lindland
In 2016 we completed a qualitative study involving visiting dogs at nursing homes (Ellen D. Gundersen & Berit Johannessen). 18 interviews with dog handlers and emplyees were conducted. Background This figure shows some of the results from that study. DOG HANDLERS Being useful Getting refill benefit for the residents enjoing the visit the well being of the dog EMPLOYEES It makes a difference good moments in dementia care organizing matters pleasant to participate planning and flexibility wish for more visits information and support
Continue. benefits for the residents joy and lighter mood Increased verbal expressions glimpse of a lived life stimulation and calmness enjoying physical contact
Benefits for the residents (most of them suffering from dementia)- some quotes: Lighter mood and expressions of joy- When they see the dog, most of them become happy and are smiling. I see an incredible joy. Several times when we have come, one of the residents has been sad, depressed. ( ) but once we are there, everything is okay.
Continue. Increased verbal expressions and glimpse of a lived life It`s exciting watching a person who normally doesn`t talk much, or someone having massive cognitive damage, suddenly being close to who they used to be before becoming ill. One of the female residents suffers from severe dementia, but sitting together with the dog, she starts talking about the dog she used to have home. Normally she doesn`t talk much, but then she talks without break. It is incredible.
Continue. Enjoying physical contact: They are holding their arms around him, he sits close to them and they are almost laying on top of him. I see that it gives them a physical contact that they need They are completely crazy about her. We have a patient without language, only a few sounds, he was cuddling and cuddling.
Continue stimulation and calmness It does something with restlessness. Just knowing that today after the coffee the dog will arrive. Then something is happening that makes them occupied, and then time flies. It might be some long afternoons for them. Having something to look forward to, that something is happening, makes them calmer. One resident who is walking around a lot, often in a bad mood, sits calmly during the visits, smiling and laughing. ( ) when the dog sits next to them and they can get close to it, then they sit quietly and are relaxed. It looks as they get an inner calmness, in a way.
the experienced benefits for the residents was the strongest motivation for both the dog handlers and the employees For both the dog handlers and the employees, the experienced benefits for the residents was the strongest motivation for supporting and contributing to the dog visits. They felt it was worth the effort as long as they observed positive impact on the residents. This was also found in a Swedish study among dog handlers (Swall et al (2017) were the motivation were connected to alleviating discomfort for the patients.
New study: Elderly and loneliness Because of the positive effects dog handlers and employees told about from the dog visits in nursing homes, we wanted to conduct a new study among home dwelling elderly suffering from loneliness.
Background Loneliness is a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one s social needs are not being met by the quantity or especially the quality of one s social relationships. Loneliness the subjective experience of feeling socially disconnected from others (Hawkey & Cacioppo 2010). Loneliness is an important area of study because it may increase human mortality.
Background The prevalence of loneliness among adults decreases across adulthood, but increases in very old age (i.e., 80 + years; Pinquart & Sørensen, 2001). Hawkley & Cacioppo (201O) claim that approximately 40% of adults aged 65 years and older report being lonely at least part of the time. Among persons aged 80+, 5 15% report frequent loneliness (Pinquart & Sørensen, 2001), women more than men, (Krogstad & Skjei Knudsen, 2011).
Research on dog visits to home dwelling elderly is limited Krause- Parello have studied pet attachement among home dwelling elderly, most of their studies focus on health effects of dog ownership: Pets can play a positive role in both the physical and psychological health of older adults, and pet attachment support can act as a coping resource between loneliness and depressed mood (Krause-Parello 2012). Studies on AAI also show good results in connection to enhanced social support in home dwelling elderly (Krause-Parello & Kolassa, 2016; Krause- Parello, 2012). Pet attachment support has a mediating effect on the relationship between loneliness and general health in older females (Krause- Parello 2008)
Pet ownership may attenuate loneliness among older adult primary care patients who live alone A study found that pet owners were 36% less likely than nonpet owners to report loneliness. Further owning a pet may attenuate feelings of loneliness for older adults, both men and women, and particularly among those who live alone. This finding indicates that pets may function as a meaningful source of social connectedness (Stanley et al. 2014).
High attachment to pets can also predict higher scores on loneliness A study from Canada showed that neither pet ownership nor attachment to pets predicted the loneliness or depression levels of individuals living alone. Dog owners with high levels of human social support were significantly less lonely than non-owner. BUT among pet owners with low levels of human social support, high attachment to pets predicted significantly higher scores on loneliness and depression (Duvall & Psycyl 2010).
A planned study among home dwelling elderly suffering from loneliness Aim: To gain knowledge about how home dwelling elderly experience dog visits in relation to feelings of loneliness and general quality of life
The target group and recruitement The target group for the project will be 10-15 older users of community health home services that are prone to loneliness and depression, and who are interested in sharing time with an equipage (dog and dog handler). Community health nurses in the region will map their patients to reveal potential participants- they already report that many of their patients spend a lot of time alone Certified equipages will be recruited from Red Cross.
Dog visits The equipage (dog and dog handler) will visit the elderly in their homes once a week for about one hour in 3 months Dog handlers will plan the visits in cooperation with the elderly and the responsible nurses
Research design- inspired by action research Action: dog visits Research: Qualitative design-mixed methods *Individual interviews with the elderly (and their next of kin) *2-4 focus group interviews with the involved nurses *participant observations of 10 dog visits
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