A pilot study of animal assisted activity among hospitalized older adults

Abstract

Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) is a non-medical intervention that has been shown to reduce anxiety among nursing home patients in various settings. However, AAA has not been tested among acute care hospitalized older adult patients ages 65 and older. This pilot study explored if a visit from a trained dog and its handler would decrease anxiety among hospitalized, older adult patients ages 65 and greater. The participants were recruited from medical surgical/oncology units, and the Speilberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) 6-item short form was used to measure anxiety both pre- and post-interactions with the AAA-team. The data revealed that a one-time, 12-20-min visit, allowing the patients to pet and to interact with the dog, reduced (p = .000) the participants' self-reported anxiety.

Keywords: Animal assisted activity; Animal assisted intervention; Animal assisted therapy; Pet therapy.