Bakgrund: Genom tusentals år har människor och sällskapsdjur levt sida vid sida. Tidigare studier har fokuserat på de fysiska, psykiska och sociala effekterna djur har på människor. Syfte: Syftet med denna litteratur studie är att undersöka vilken betydelse sällskapsdjur har i omvårdnaden av den äldre människan. Metod: Till denna litteraturstudie samlades data in från databaserna Cinahl och Swemed. I studien användes metodprocessens åtta steg enligt Polit och Beck (2004). Tre kategorier framkom ur analysen. Dessa tre kategorier var: sällskapsdjurs betydelse för den äldre människan, sällskapsdjur som terapi och problem som kan uppstå för den äldre människan som vill umgås med djur. Resultat: Resultaten visar att sällskapsdjur har en viktig roll för många äldre människor. För äldre människor kan djur vara den viktigaste relationen och ibland den enda nära relationen de har. Djurterapi visar sig vara ett gott komplement till andra behandlingsmetoder för den äldre människan. Konklusion: Äldre människor mår bra när de umgås med djur. Djur ger en trevlig atmosfär i sin omgivning. / Background: Through thousands of year people and domestic animal have been living side by side. Earlier studies have focused on the physiological, psychological and sociological effects pets have on humans. Aim: The aim of this literature review was to examine which meaning pets have in the caring of the elderly people. Method: For this literature review, data was collected from the databases Cinahl and Swemed. In the studie a method processing in eight steps according to Polit and Beck (2004) was used. During analyse three main categories appeared. These three categories were, pets meaning of the elderly people, pets as therapy and problems which can appear when elderly people want to socialize with pets. Result: The result showed that pets have an important role in the daily life of many elderly people. For the elderly people, pets can be the most important relation and sometimes the only close relation they have. Pet therapy indicates that it is a good complement to other treatment therapies for the elderly people. Conclusion: Elderly people feel good when they socialize with pets. Pets bring a nice atmosphere in their environment.

<p>Bakgrund: Genom tusentals år har människor och sällskapsdjur levt sida vid sida. Tidigare studier har fokuserat på de fysiska, psykiska och sociala effekterna djur har på människor.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med denna litteratur studie är att undersöka vilken betydelse sällskapsdjur har i omvårdnaden av den äldre människan.</p><p>Metod: Till denna litteraturstudie samlades data in från databaserna</p><p>Cinahl och Swemed. I studien användes metodprocessens åtta steg enligt Polit och Beck (2004). Tre kategorier framkom ur analysen. Dessa tre kategorier var: sällskapsdjurs betydelse för den äldre människan, sällskapsdjur som terapi och problem som kan uppstå för den äldre människan som vill umgås med djur.</p><p>Resultat: Resultaten visar att sällskapsdjur har en viktig roll för många äldre människor. För äldre människor kan djur vara den viktigaste relationen och ibland den enda nära relationen de har. Djurterapi visar sig vara ett gott komplement till andra behandlingsmetoder för den äldre människan.</p><p>Konklusion: Äldre människor mår bra när de umgås med djur. Djur ger en trevlig atmosfär i sin omgivning.</p> / <p>Background: Through thousands of year people and domestic animal have been living side by side. Earlier studies have focused on the physiological, psychological and sociological effects pets have on humans.</p><p>Aim: The aim of this literature review was to examine which meaning pets have in the caring of the elderly people.</p><p>Method: For this literature review, data was collected from the databases</p><p>Cinahl and Swemed. In the studie a method processing in eight steps according to Polit and Beck (2004) was used. During analyse three main categories appeared. These three categories were, pets meaning of the elderly people, pets as therapy and problems which can appear when elderly people want to socialize with pets.</p><p>Result: The result showed that pets have an important role in the daily life of many elderly people. For the elderly people, pets can be the most important relation and sometimes the only close relation they have. Pet therapy indicates that it is a good complement to other treatment therapies for the elderly people.</p><p>Conclusion: Elderly people feel good when they socialize with pets. Pets bring a nice atmosphere in their environment.</p>

abstract: ABSTRACT The experience of grief and loss is a process that can be extremely distressing to anyone, regardless of age. This may be especially true for youth. This study was designed and conducted to determine the effects of a therapy dog as a therapeutic adjunct in Child Life interventions with adolescents experiencing grief and loss. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of two groups. The intervention consisted of 3 sessions with a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) to address grief. Group 1 (N=14) was the control group, meeting only with the CCLS. Group 2 (N=13) was the experimental group and met with the CCLS with a therapy dog present during the sessions. Participants completed a pre-test and post-test of the Children's Mood Questionnaire. At the end of each session, subjects completed a Therapeutic Engagement Questionnaire. The pet therapy group experienced a significant improvement in mood scores on the Children's Mood Questionnaire following the intervention. However, there were no significant differences between groups on the Therapeutic Engagement Questionnaire during any of the 3 sessions. The data collected from this study indicate that the addition of a therapy dog in grief interventions with adolescents may improve mood outcomes. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.W. Social Work 2011

<p>The main purpose of this examination paper has been to do a review of recent scientific and evaluated studies performed on children 0-15 years of age, treated with an animal as an assistant to the therapist/professional. The key term is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Our focus has been to describe in what fields these kinds of studies have been performed, what the results are and how effective they have been. As a supplement to our study we have performed 8 short telephone interviews with professionals in the same field of occupation corresponding to the studies we have summarized. Our results concerning the studies show that there has been a positive outcome in the treatment of children and adolescents and AAT. This agegroup show an increase in for example; social skills, communication and maintaining focus. The results in our interviews show that there is poor knowledge in the research done in the area of AAT, that AAT is not used in these areas in Stockholm though the interest in the method seems large. As theoretical frameworks we have used the biophilia hypothesis and Winnicotts theory of the transition object.</p>

<p>Syftet med denna deskriptiva litteraturstudie var att beskriva vilken inverkan sällskapsdjur har på äldre personers hälsa och välbefinnande. Totalt 18 vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades dessa återfanns i databaserna Cinahl, Science Direct och Academic Search Elite samt via andra artiklars referenslistor. Studierna som gjorts om djurens inverkan på äldre personer som bor i det egna hemmet genomfördes med enkäter och intervjuer. Resultatet visade att djurägarna var mindre missnöjda med sin sociala och emotionella situation än de som inte ägde djur. Hos hemmaboende personer med Alzheimers sjukdom visade det sig att interaktioner med sällskapsdjur minskade humör- och psykomotoriska störningar såsom aggression, hyperaktivitet, hallucinationer och känslor av oro. Även en påverkan på den fysiska hälsan hos djurägare återfanns då de fick mer motion än vad icke djurägare fick. Djurägarnas ADL förmåga bibehölls i större utsträckning över tid i jämförelse med de äldre som inte ägde något djur. De flesta studier som gjorts om sällskapsdjurens påverkan på äldre personer inom äldreomsorgen har varit av experimentell karaktär. Sällskapsdjuren hade flera effekter på de äldre; det sociala samspelet och de verbala interaktionerna ökade, känslan av depression och ensamhet minskade. En klar fysisk förbättring kunde påvisas i form av minskade muskelspänningar och trötthet, ökat nutritionsintag och lägre blodtryck. Bland äldre dementa personer påvisades en markant minskning av oro och aggressivitet då de deltog i djurterapi.</p> / <p>The aim of this descriptive literature review was to describe the impact of pets on the health and well being of elderly persons. A total of 18 studies were included which were found in Cinahl, Science Direct and Academic Search Elite and from other article references. Questionnaires and interviews were used to asses the impact of pets on elderly persons living at home. The result showed that pet owners were more satisfied with the social and emotional situation compared to non-pet owners. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease living at home and interacted with pets showed a lesser degree of aggression, hyperactivity, hallucinations and anxiety than non-pet owners. Pets also had an influence on the physical health of the pet owners. They took longer walks more frequently than non-pet owners. Pet owners preserved their ADL to a greater extent compared to non-pet owners. Most studies exploring the impact of pets on elderly living in nursing homes were experimental. Pets had several effects on the elderly; the social connection and the verbal interactions increased, depression and loneliness decreased. Pets also affected the physical condition of the elderly; they had less muscle tensions and fatigue, higher nutritional intake and lower blood pressure. Among the elderly with dementia the anxiety and aggression decreased when they participated in animal assisted therapy.</p>

Syftet med denna deskriptiva litteraturstudie var att beskriva vilken inverkan sällskapsdjur har på äldre personers hälsa och välbefinnande. Totalt 18 vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades dessa återfanns i databaserna Cinahl, Science Direct och Academic Search Elite samt via andra artiklars referenslistor. Studierna som gjorts om djurens inverkan på äldre personer som bor i det egna hemmet genomfördes med enkäter och intervjuer. Resultatet visade att djurägarna var mindre missnöjda med sin sociala och emotionella situation än de som inte ägde djur. Hos hemmaboende personer med Alzheimers sjukdom visade det sig att interaktioner med sällskapsdjur minskade humör- och psykomotoriska störningar såsom aggression, hyperaktivitet, hallucinationer och känslor av oro. Även en påverkan på den fysiska hälsan hos djurägare återfanns då de fick mer motion än vad icke djurägare fick. Djurägarnas ADL förmåga bibehölls i större utsträckning över tid i jämförelse med de äldre som inte ägde något djur. De flesta studier som gjorts om sällskapsdjurens påverkan på äldre personer inom äldreomsorgen har varit av experimentell karaktär. Sällskapsdjuren hade flera effekter på de äldre; det sociala samspelet och de verbala interaktionerna ökade, känslan av depression och ensamhet minskade. En klar fysisk förbättring kunde påvisas i form av minskade muskelspänningar och trötthet, ökat nutritionsintag och lägre blodtryck. Bland äldre dementa personer påvisades en markant minskning av oro och aggressivitet då de deltog i djurterapi. / The aim of this descriptive literature review was to describe the impact of pets on the health and well being of elderly persons. A total of 18 studies were included which were found in Cinahl, Science Direct and Academic Search Elite and from other article references. Questionnaires and interviews were used to asses the impact of pets on elderly persons living at home. The result showed that pet owners were more satisfied with the social and emotional situation compared to non-pet owners. Persons with Alzheimer’s disease living at home and interacted with pets showed a lesser degree of aggression, hyperactivity, hallucinations and anxiety than non-pet owners. Pets also had an influence on the physical health of the pet owners. They took longer walks more frequently than non-pet owners. Pet owners preserved their ADL to a greater extent compared to non-pet owners. Most studies exploring the impact of pets on elderly living in nursing homes were experimental. Pets had several effects on the elderly; the social connection and the verbal interactions increased, depression and loneliness decreased. Pets also affected the physical condition of the elderly; they had less muscle tensions and fatigue, higher nutritional intake and lower blood pressure. Among the elderly with dementia the anxiety and aggression decreased when they participated in animal assisted therapy.

The main purpose of this examination paper has been to do a review of recent scientific and evaluated studies performed on children 0-15 years of age, treated with an animal as an assistant to the therapist/professional. The key term is Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Our focus has been to describe in what fields these kinds of studies have been performed, what the results are and how effective they have been. As a supplement to our study we have performed 8 short telephone interviews with professionals in the same field of occupation corresponding to the studies we have summarized. Our results concerning the studies show that there has been a positive outcome in the treatment of children and adolescents and AAT. This agegroup show an increase in for example; social skills, communication and maintaining focus. The results in our interviews show that there is poor knowledge in the research done in the area of AAT, that AAT is not used in these areas in Stockholm though the interest in the method seems large. As theoretical frameworks we have used the biophilia hypothesis and Winnicotts theory of the transition object.

Bakgrund: Antalet patienter med ångest ökar och orsakar ofta ett lidande för patienten. Sjuksköterskan har omvårdnadsansvar att lindra detta lidande. Olika djurterapier förekommer i vården för att behandla olika besvär, till exempel Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) och Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Syfte: Syftet med studien var att undersöka vilken påverkan djur har på patienters ångest. Metod: Studien har genomförts som en litteraturstudie baserad på kvantitativa studier(n=12). Resultat: I samtliga studier framkom en sänkning av ångest vid djurterapier och i sju av studierna var det en statistiskt säkerställd sänkning. Resultatet visar främst en sänkning hos patienter som vårdas inom psykiatrin men även patienter inom den somatiska vården påverkades positivt av djuren. Diskussion: En sänkning av patienternas ångest visar att djur inom vården har en lugnande inverkan. Dock går det inte att utesluta att sänkningen berodde på andra faktorer såsom aktivitet, arbetsuppgifter eller ökad nivå av enskild uppmärksamhet. Slutsats: Djur kan vara ångestsänkande och därmed lindra patienters lidande. Kunskap som sjuksköterskan bör ha med sig i sin yrkesutövning är den inverkan djur har i patienters vårdmiljö eller i samtalsämne när vårdtagare önskar detta. / Background: The number of patients with anxiety has increased and causes often suffering for the patients. The registered nurse has a responsibility to ease patients suffering. Animals can be used in care as pet therapy, which branches into two main areas: Animal Assisted Activity (AAA) and Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT). Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of animals in patients with anxiety. Method: The study was performed as a literature review based on twelve quantitative studies. Result: There was a reduction of anxiety in connection with animal interaction. The result shows mainly a decrease of anxiety for patients treated in psychiatric wards but also for patients treated in somatic wards were positive affected. Discussion: A reduction of anxiety indicates that the experiences with animals were calming for the patients. However, we cannot exclude that the change in anxiety levels depends on other elements such as activity, work assignments or an increased level of individual attention. Conclusion: Animals can decrease anxiety and the patients suffering. That knowledge is important for the registered nurse when integrating animal in the environment or in conversation with the patients. Consideration should be taken for patients allergic to animals.

Bakgrund: Ett grundläggande emotionellt behov hos människan är fysisk beröring, som vid vissa sjukdomstillstånd kan vara svåra att tillfredsställa inom vården. Effekten av beröringen gör att människan blir mer avslappnad, samma effekt kan en person få från fysisk beröring av sällskapsdjur. Djurassisterad terapi kan användas som en kompletteringsbehandling inom sjukvården. Syfte: Att beskriva vilka djurarter som används i djurassisterad terapi och på vilket sätt de kan användas i vården för rehabilitering och habilitering av patienter. Syftet var vidare att beskriva om det har effekt på hälsan och i så fall vilken effekt det har. Metod: Litteraturstudie med 11 utvalda artiklar från databaserna CINAHL, PubMed och Google scholar. Artiklarnas kvalitet granskades, resultaten analyserades och presenteras efter studiens frågeställningar. Huvudresultat: Flertalet djurarter kan användas för djurassisterad terapi vid både psykisk och fysisk ohälsa. Terapin, oavsett djurart och utformning hade en stressreducerande och avslappnande effekt på studiedeltagarna. Detta antas bidrar till den reducerade symtomproblematiken som de upplevde. Den positiva effekten varade framförallt under tiden för terapins genomförande. Även personalen upplevde en minskad stress och en ökad känsla av tillfredställelse med sitt arbete, vilket kan ha bidragit till terapins effekt på deltagarna. Slutsats: Individanpassad djurassisterad terapi kan ha god effekt som en kompletterande behandling på patienters upplevda hälsa i de fall där patienten är öppen för att delta i denna form av terapi. / Background: A basic emotional need of humans is physical touch, which in certain disease states may be difficult to satisfy in healthcare. The effect of physical touch reduces stress and enables humans to become more relaxed, the same effect may be attained by a physical encounter with an animal. Animal-assisted therapy, also referred to as pet therapy can be used as a complementary treatment in healthcare. Aim: To describe the species used in animal assisted therapy, in which way they can be used in the care of rehabilitation and habilitation of patients. A further aim was also to describe if it has an effect on human health, if so, what effect it has. Methods: A literature review, with 11 articles from the databases CINAHL, PubMed and Google Scholar.  Main results: Most animal species can be used for animal assisted therapy in both mental and physical health. The therapy, regardless of species and design had a stress-reducing and relaxing effect on study participants. This is believed to contribute to the reduction of symptoms they experienced. The positive effect lasted especially during the time of the therapy's intervention. The staff experienced a reduced stress and increased feelings of satisfaction with their work, which may have contributed to the therapy's effect on participants. Conclusion: Personalised animal assisted therapy may be effective as an adjunctive treatment in patients' perceived health in cases where the patient is open to participate in this form of therapy.

The purpose of this study was to explore the various animal assisted interventions mental health professionals incorporate in the therapeutic treatment process, as well as the various therapeutic purposes intended with each technique. Participants were recruited from animal assisted therapy related databases. Participants included professionals who practiced in the mental health field. Thirty one participants qualified for the study. A survey was developed based on information found reviewing literature related to animal assisted therapy. Nineteen animal assisted therapy techniques and ten therapeutic intentions were identified from a review of the literature. Participants were asked to rate on a Likert scale how often they incorporated each technique in their treatment process. Additionally, participants were asked to identify which therapeutic purposes they intended with each technique. Results indicated participants incorporated a variety of animal assisted techniques for various therapeutic intentions. Results indicated seven animal assisted techniques were incorporated by more than 50% of the participants. Building rapport in the therapeutic relationship was the most common therapeutic intention reported with a variety of animal assisted techniques.