Resident Dog in the Alzheimer’s Special Care Unit

Abstract

Behavioral disturbances are a common feature of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Prior studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in agitation behaviors during short-term exposure to a dog on an Alzheimer’s special care unit (SCU) for persons with AD. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect over time of a resident dog on problem behaviors of persons with AD in an SCU. A within-participants repeated-measures design was used for this study. The Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale was used to document behaviors (on days and evenings) 1 week before and 4 weeks after placement of the dog. Participants on the dayshift exhibited significantly fewer problem behaviors across the 4 weeks of the study (F[ 1, 80] = 7.69, p < .05). No significant change in behaviors occurred on the evening shift. The findings support the long-term therapeutic effects of dogs for persons residing in Alzheimer’s SCUs.