Animal-assisted and robotic pet interventions in dementia care
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Exploring the theoretical foundations of animal-assisted and robotic pet interventions for people living with dementia
IRAS ID
315740
Contact name
Elena Ratschen
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) to support the care of people with dementia have been receiving increased attention. Research has shown the AAIs may have benefits for people with dementia, such as improved mood, wellbeing and increased social interaction. Interventions involving robotic animals as substitutes for real animals are also commonly used in dementia care settings, primarily to avoid potential risks of involving real animals. However, there is large variation in the use of AAIs and robotic animals within dementia care. Without a better understanding of how these interventions may work, poor and potentially harmful, unethical practice may result from delivering these interventions that are not sufficiently evidence-based.
Therefore, this study aims to investigate how animal-assisted and robotic animal interventions currently work in dementia care settings, informed by existing research and engaging with a range of participants using interviews and a small number of observations. Interviews will be conducted with people with dementia and their carers, healthcare professionals and AAI providers. Participants will be asked during interviews to share their thoughts and experiences about delivering or receiving animal-assisted or robotic animal interventions within a dementia setting. The researcher will also observe the delivery of animal-assisted and robotic animal interventions to people with dementia. The observations will help our understanding of how the sessions work and why they may be helpful for people with dementia. Therefore, this small-scale study will help to prepare the ground for a larger research grant application in this area and facilitate the development of a standardised animal-assisted and/or robotic animal intervention for people living with dementia.
Summary of Results
The study investigated robotic animal-assisted interventions for people with dementia in an inpatient dementia care context. Robotic animal interventions have been receiving increasing attention in the context of supporting the care of people with dementia. However, little research has been conducted to improve our understanding of how they may ‘work’ within inpatient dementia care. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate for whom and how these interventions work best within this setting.
The robotic animal-assisted intervention in this study involved PARO. PARO is designed to resemble a baby harp seal and has tactile sensors, including sound, light, temperature, and touch. PARO the seal responds to physical and social interaction and can display lifelike responses to participants. In the present study, the intervention was delivered by Clinical Psychology staff on the participating NHS inpatient dementia ward.
The study started in May 2023 and was conducted in an inpatient dementia ward at one NHS mental health Trust in the North of England. We aimed to recruit at least 5 staff members, 3-4 people with dementia and 3-5 relatives from August to December 2022. Interviews were conducted with staff members, people with dementia and their relatives to explore their perceptions of the delivery and receipt of the intervention, and why they may ‘work’. Observations were also conducted to gain further insight into the robotic animal-assisted intervention in ‘real time’.
Interviews were conducted with 13 participants, including 6 staff members, 4 people with dementia and 3 relatives. Six observations of the robotic animal sessions were conducted, and 5 people with dementia were observed, 3 of which had completed interviews.
The research team analysed the data and identified six main themes that helped to understand how the intervention may work best. These themes included: (1) the intervention content and process (e.g., session structure, session content, duration and frequency, mode of delivery); (2) provision of a safe space to facilitate focused engagement; (3) delivery of the intervention (e.g., training and experience of staff), and the appropriate identification of individuals with dementia (e.g., focusing on their needs); (4) potential factors that lead to positive impacts (e.g., enhancing social interaction, benefits of physically interacting with the seal, feelings of attachment with the seal), and (5) impact of attending the sessions (e.g., positive impact on mood).
An initial theory was drafted to outline how the intervention may work best within an inpatient dementia care context. This research is an important step toward informing evidence-based practice for robotic animal-assisted interventions to support the care of people with dementia within inpatient settings.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to contribute such findings within this setting. However, it is important for further research to test the initial theory obtained from the study, with the theory guiding research design and intervention delivery.
The findings will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal. However, please contact the Research Fellow Dr Emily Shoesmith (Emily.shoesmith@york.ac.uk) if you’d like to learn more about the findings.
REC name
Wales REC 6
REC reference
22/WA/0128
Date of REC Opinion
20 May 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion