Fish aquariums for people with dementia living in care homes, V0.1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The role of fish aquariums for people with dementia living in care homes: A mixed methods study
IRAS ID
240444
Contact name
Stephanie Valentin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of Scotland
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
The role of fish aquariums for people with dementia living in care homes
Research with pet owners has suggested that contact with animals may be beneficial for human well-being. This has led to the development of “animal-assisted interventions” which aim to improve human well-being through interaction with animals. For people with dementia, these interventions have been associated with improvements in agitated and aggressive behaviour, physical activity and diet, and overall quality of life. Although most animal-assisted interventions involve dogs, this may be unsuitable for some people as dogs can cause harm through allergic reactions, scratches, bites, or by causing people to trip/fall. An alternative could be fish aquariums, which pose much less risk but have been linked to benefits like increased relaxation. For people with dementia in residential care, the presence of fish tanks has been associated with increased food intake and body weight, possibly because watching the fish helps to reduce agitation in residents, leading them to eat more at mealtimes. The current study aims to build on these findings and will be conducted in a single care home over twelve months. Following recruitment (months 1-3), the first part of the study (months 4-10) will involve assessments of agitated behaviour during weekly observations of participating residents. During the same period, body weight will be measured as standard by the care home and shared with the researcher. These data will be used to see whether increases in body weight are directly linked to reductions in agitation. In addition, quality of life will be assessed at the start and end of this period to see whether this changes after the fish tanks are installed. In the last two months, interviews will be conducted with residents, their relatives and staff members to gain an understanding of their experiences with the fish tanks.
REC name
Scotland A: Adults with Incapacity only
REC reference
18/SS/0134
Date of REC Opinion
19 Dec 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion