Impact of cat-assisted therapy (Ca-AT) among elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease at home: a case study
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the effects of cat-assisted therapy (Ca-AT) on a patient in their homes, specifically investigating the effects on patient’s memory, behavioral pathology and ability to perform activities of daily living, independently.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study design was used in patient’s homes using three measuring scales, namely, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Barthel index (BI) and Behavioral Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Rating Scale.
Findings
The MMSE and BI mean scores were increased, whereas the Behavioral Pathology mean score was decreased. Patient negative behaviors were improved specifically, aggressiveness, anxieties, phobias, and caregiver burden was decreased.
Practical implications
Patients with AD could significantly benefit from Ca-AT in their own homes, and it could decrease caregiving burden.
Originality/value
Ca-AT is a newly developed type of animal-assisted therapy that uses cats to treat patients, especially elderly people with AD, in their homes.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Since submission of this article, the following author has updated their affiliation: Mariam M. Kawafha Professor, Department of Nursing Science, Faculty of Nursing, Philadelphia, Amman, Jordan.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Authorship contribution: Najah Shawish, Conceptualization, Project administration, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Original draft –Writing and Reviewing. Mariam Kawafha, Methodology, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Validation, Original draft – Reviewing and Editing. Andaleeb Abu Kamel, Conceptualization, Project administration, Validation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Original draft –Writing and Reviewing. Dua’a Al-Maghaireh, Methodology, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Validation, Original draft – Reviewing and Editing. Salam Bani Hani, Original draft – Reviewing.
Citation
Shawish, N., Kawafha, M., Abu Kamel, A., Al-Maghaireh, D. and Bani Hani, S. (2024), "Impact of cat-assisted therapy (Ca-AT) among elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease at home: a case study", Working with Older People, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/WWOP-10-2023-0042
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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