Effekter av vårdhund och robotdjur hos patienter med demenssjukdom : En litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Background: Dementia is an umbrella term for a group of diseases that affects the brain and causes cognitive impairment. Animal-assisted Therapy's goal is to meet patients' physical, psychological and social dimensions within the current health care field. To avoid problems like infections and allergy, robotic animals has been developed. The purpose of robotic animals is to induce relaxation and well-being of persons with cognitive impairment for example.Purpose: To compile scientific articles on which effects care dog and robotic animals have on mental and physical health in patients with dementia. Method: A literature review consisting of nine quantitative research articles. The databases used were PubMed and CINAHL.Results: Several of the studies shows positive effects on quality of life, increased social behavior, increased sense of satisfaction and a decreased sense of loneliness. Results of the interventions effect on agitation and anxiety varies, one study shows unchanged behavior in the intervention group while the control group's agitation behavior increased during the same period. Effect on depressive symptoms was only assessed after the intervention with care dog and none of the studies were able to show any significant effect of treatment. The results show no effect on physical well-being.Conclusion: The results of this study show that intervention with care dog or robotic animals might have positive effect on the wellbeing of older people with dementia. The results are not generalizable. More controlled studies need to be done with clear descriptions of the intervention approach and the participants' status to assure the evidence of the interventions.