Evaluating popular therapies for people living with dementia
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating popular therapies for people living with dementia
IRAS ID
273609
Contact name
Rebecca Sharp
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Nonpharmacological interventions have been increasingly used in clinical practice for people living with dementia and are called for as best practice. Nonpharmacological interventions are preferred for its effectiveness in reducing behavioural symptoms and improve quality of life with minimal adverse reactions (Gill et al., 2007; Gitlin et al., 2012). Few studies have looked at the efficacy of doll therapy (DT) and animal-assisted therapy (AAT) on people with dementia. The outcomes suggested that these therapies increased positive interaction among the residents (Fernandez et al., 2013; Pope et al., 2016). However, most studies on DT are mainly anecdotal (i.e., they seek people’s opinions rather than directly measure the behaviour of participants) which could be prone to observer bias (Mitchell & O’Donnell, 2013; Ng et al., 2017). Additionally, many AAT studies have ambiguous results with unclear study designs (e.g., Peluso et al., 2018; Yakimicki et al., 2019). Because most studies are qualitative only, there is a clear need to evaluate the effects of DT and AAT using quantitative research designs (i.e., directly measuring the effect on people living with dementia).
In this study, we aim to examine the effects of both DT and AAT on people with dementia. Although we acknowledge that these are different therapies, we propose a single quantitative method that can be used to evaluate both (hence the inclusion of both in our study). We will measure the effects of the therapy on a person’s behaviour (i.e., facial expressions, any vocalisations and body movements) in the presence of the items by direct observation. This is an empirical study that evaluate the effectiveness of both therapies and we will also investigate the factors that make the interventions effective. The findings from the study will add to the existing knowledge of using behavioural analytic techniques to explore interventions for people with dementia.REC name
Wales REC 5
REC reference
20/WA/0018
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion