[[alternative]]Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on the Physical and Psychological Health for the Elderly with Dementia

[[abstract]]失智症係因腦部漸進性退化，除了記憶力喪失，出現幻覺、妄想等非認知症狀，甚至完全喪失自理生活的能力。本研究探討動物輔助治療介入對失智老人生理、心理及認知的影響。研究對象為台北市區65歲以上失智老人，實驗組18人，平均年齡為78.5±5.8歲，接受每週1次、每次60分鐘，共9週治療犬介入的團體方案；對照組17人，平均年齡為77.6±8.2歲，9週無治療犬的團體方案。於介入措施前、後進行血壓、自律神經功能評估（心率變異頻域分析）、憂鬱量表、正向行為觀察及認知量表評估。以SPSS 18.0進行資料分析結果顯示，在生理指標方面，實驗組在憂鬱對照組別舒張壓均為下降，但未達顯著差異；實驗組心跳間距（ln RR）、標準差（ln SD）、總功率（ln TP）、及高頻（ln HF）均上升達顯著差異（p<0.05），亦即動物輔助治療對心率及自主神經功能有影響。心理指標方面，實驗組與對照組在老人憂鬱量表（GDS）與正向行為之變化上均呈現顯著改善情形，且實驗組均優於對照組。認知指標方面，實驗組認知前後測有明顯提升之差異，對照組則未達顯著差異。研究結果建議可推廣動物輔助治療以增進失智老人自律神經功能、心理及認知功能。[[abstract]]Dementia results from the progressive deterioration of the brain. In addition to the memory loss, the patients have hallucinations, delusions or other non-cognitive symptoms. They even completely lose the ability of self-caring. Experiments confirmed people with dementia to participate in animal-assisted therapy can improve blood pressure, cognitive, emotional and behavioral problems, etc., so this study was to explore the effects of intervention in animal-assisted therapy for people with dementia in physiological, psychological and cognitive. This study was targeted to people over 65 years with dementia living in Taipei community. The experimental group was set as 18 people with average age 78.5 ± 5.8 years to accept once a week, 60-minute per time, a total of nine-week animal-assisted therapy group program intervention. And control group was set as 17 people with average age 77.6 ± 8.2 years, nine-week without animal-assisted therapy group program. Before & after interventions, we checked blood pressure, autonomic nervous system function evaluation (frequency domain analysis of heart rate variability), Depression Scale, positive behavioral observation and cognitive assessment scale. Research finding used SPSS 18.0 statistical software to analysis data. In physiological indicators, diastolic blood pressure was decreased in both of the experimental group and the control group but with less significant difference in between. However, the heartbeat spacing (ln RR), standard deviation (ln SD), total power (ln TP), and high frequency (ln HF) were increased with significant differences (p