Dog therapy for people with dementia

Canine contact can improve the mood, quality of life, and even the general health of people with dementia, an Australian review has found.

A joint project by veterinarians and ageing specialists in Queensland has found that so called dog assisted therapy, where a trained dog and therapist spend time with a small group of patients in aged care homes, brings clear benefits.

“Contact with a dog increased social behaviour, improved mood, improved quality of life and also increased the patient’s reported health, so the benefits are important ones,” said lead researcher, Dr Jacqueline Perkins, from the Australasian Centre on Ageing at the University of Queensland.

“And given we are facing an explosion in rates of dementia as the population ages, we need all the more ways to help improve life for dementia patients.”

Almost 200,000 Australians aged over 65 years have dementia, including the neurological condition, Alzheimer’s Disease, with numbers expected to grow to 465,000 by 2031.

Behavioural and psychological symptoms like wandering, agitation and aggression are common, but drug treatments remain limited and the effects of non-pharmacological approaches like music therapy, aromatherapy, light therapy and cognitive therapy, have been modest at best, Dr Perkins said.

The researchers reviewed nine international studies on the use of dogs to improve symptoms, and found patients consistently responded well.

“Just feeding, petting and playing with the dog improved their social interaction, reduced agitation and had other benefits too, like reducing the burden on carers,” she said.

“And, for many, they remember dogs they’ve had in the past and they’re able to re-live those happy memories and share them with other people.

Smaller ‘toy’ breeds appeared to get the best response, Dr Perkins said.

The study is published in the Australasian Journal on Ageing.