[Animal-assisted intervention and agitation in patients with dementia: evaluation in a special care unit by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory].

BACKGROUND Animal-assisted interventions (AAI) show promising results but they suffer from a lack studies and contradictory results. OBJECTIVE Our study deals with dog intervention and agitation in older patients with dementia. METHODS An epidemiological quasi-experimental study was carried out in patients living in a Special Care Unit (SCU) of an Ehpad in the French Region of Haut-Rhin. Agitation was assessed by the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory at three consecutive periods of one month after the instauration, discontinuation and resumption of a dog mediation. RESULTS 26 patients were included in the study (76,92% female); mean age was 85,35 years and the mean score on MMSE was 6,85. Stopping AAI leads to a 11,9% relative increase in agitation (p = 0,03) whereas reintroduction of AAI leads to a 29,9% relative decrease in agitation (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Animal-assisted interventions present an interesting and efficient therapy for agitation in older patients with dementia. However, further studies need to standardize their practices (rhythm, duration and type of interaction) to ensure an optimal care.