ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2020
Animal-Assisted Therapy Improves Communication and Mobility among Institutionalized People with Cognitive Impairment.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Effectiveness of Animal-Assisted Interventions for People Living With Dementia: An Overview of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis.International journal of nursing practice · 2026Pooled it
- Animal-assisted interventions for depression in older adults: an umbrella review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Pooled it
- The role of animal-assisted programs in physical health improvement of children and adolescents with special education needs - a systematic review.BMC public health · 2024Pooled it
- Animal-assisted and robotic animal-assisted interventions within dementia care: A systematic review.Dementia (London, England) · 2023Pooled it
- Physical and Motor Fitness Tests for Older Adults Living in Nursing Homes: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Specific and Non-specific Factors of Animal-Assisted Interventions Considered in Research: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Pooled it
- A mixed-methods feasibility study of dog-assisted exercise therapy in geriatric inpatients.BMC geriatrics · 2026Trial
- Animal-Assisted Therapy in Dementia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Cognitive, Affective, and Behavioral Outcomes.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- Human-animal relationships in older persons: from pet companionship to animal-assisted interventions. A position statement.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2026Review
- Dog-assisted interventions to support health and wellbeing: a national survey of current practice in England.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Witnessing Self-Affirming Moments in Persons with Dementia While Interacting with Therapy Dogs: A Case Report.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Job Analysis and Curriculum Design of South Korean Animal-Assisted Therapy Specialists Using DACUM.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2024Article
- Challenges to conducting research on oral health with older adults living in long-term care facilities.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- Dog-Assisted Therapy in Mental Health Care: A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Patients with Intellectual Disabilities.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2024Article
- Daily Mobility and Social Interactions Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Pet Dogs: A Scoping Review.Journal of applied gerontology : the official journal of the Southern Gerontological Society · 2022Article
- Working like a Dog: Exploring the Role of a Therapy Dog in Clinical Exercise Physiology Practice.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2022Article
- Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) in Alzheimer's Disease: A Case Study.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Animal-Assisted Intervention in Speech-Language Pathology: Practical, Clinical, and Theoretical Considerations.Seminars in speech and language · 2022Review
- Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamase-Producing and Carbapenem-ResistantInternational journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Disorders of communication, social relationships, and psychomotricity are often characterized by cognitive impairment, which hinders daily activities and increases the risk of falls. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of an animal-assisted therapy (AAT) program in an institutionalized geriatric population with cognitive impairment. The variables evaluated included level of communication and changes in gait and/or balance. We performed a two-arm, parallel controlled, open-label, nonrandomized cluster clinical trial in two nursing home centers from an urban area. Patients in the two centers received 12 weekly sessions of physiotherapy, but the experimental group included AAT with a therapy dog. The study included a total of 46 patients (23 Control Group [CG], 23 Experimental Group [EG]) with a median age of 85.0 years. Of these, 32.6% had mild-moderate cognitive decline (Global Deterioration Scale of Reisberg [GDS] 2-4) and 67.4% severe cognitive decline (GDS 5-6). After the intervention, patients in the CG and EG showed a statistically significant improvement in all the response variables. When comparing both groups, no statistically significant differences were found in any of the Tinetti scale results (measuring gait and balance). However, the communication of patients in the EG, measured on the Holden scale, showed a statistically significant greater improvement postintervention than that of patients in the CG. AAT can be useful as a complementary, effective treatment for patients with different degrees of cognitive decline.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.