Feasibility of an adaptive riding pilot study and acceptability to dementia care partners: "Your spirits are lifted"

Rebecca K F Lassell; Jennifer E Cross; Arlene A Schmid; Deana B Davalos; Wendy Wood

doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102897

Feasibility of an adaptive riding pilot study and acceptability to dementia care partners: "Your spirits are lifted"

Complement Ther Med. 2022 Dec:71:102897. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102897. Epub 2022 Oct 28.

Authors

Rebecca K F Lassell¹, Jennifer E Cross², Arlene A Schmid³, Deana B Davalos⁴, Wendy Wood⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, USA. Electronic address: becca.lassell@nyu.edu.
² Department of Sociology, Colorado State University, USA.
³ Department of Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, USA.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Colorado State University, USA.
⁵ Departments of Animal Science and Occupational Therapy, Colorado State University, USA.

PMID: 36342022
DOI: 10.1016/j.ctim.2022.102897

Abstract

Objectives: We sought to assess the feasibility and acceptability of an adaptive riding program with dyads (persons living with dementia, family care partners) and a gardening comparison condition.

Design: This is a two-arm (adaptive riding and adaptive gardening), mixed methods, convergent, feasibility study that occurred February 2019-June 2019.

Interventions: Upon enrollment, dyads (n=9) self-selected into either community-based adaptive riding (n=5) or adaptive gardening (n=4), two complementary interventions in Northern Colorado. Interventions occurred for hour-long, weekly sessions for eight weeks.

Outcome measures: Feasibility was measured with recruitment (actual/planned, response rate, participants enrolled/month) retention, adherence to study procedures (attendance, retention, fidelity), and data collection processes (planned versus collected); and analyzed with descriptive statistics. Acceptability of adaptive riding was measured with pre/post care partner interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Afterwards, findings were converged.

Results: We recruited n=10/24 dyads (6 dyads per month), with the highest response rates for referrals and in-person events, n=9 dyads enrolled. We adhered to study procedures with attendance (6/8 gardening, 8/8 riding), retention (100%), fidelity (100%) and data collected (98%). Care partners (n=5) found the adaptive riding intervention acceptable with two themes Overall hopes: "Joy in the present moment" and "Experience as a Whole: "Your spirits are lifted," affirming quantitative attendance and retention data.

Conclusion: Findings underscore the feasibility and acceptability of including care partners of persons living with dementia in complementary interventions involving horsemanship activities. Feasibility data can guide study designs and implementation processes for other nature-based complementary interventions for this population.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; Horsemanship; Horticulture therapy; Implementation science; Nature-based; Therapeutic riding.

MeSH terms

Caregivers*
Colorado
Dementia* / therapy
Feasibility Studies
Humans
Pilot Projects