EQ S C I E N C E
Lifting Minds and Spirits The BENEFITS OF HORSES for Alzheimer’s patients.
30 | EQ U E S T R I A N Q UA RT E RLY | FAL L | 2015
they smiled, laughed, and talked to the horses. Even those who normally acted withdrawn became fully engaged in the experience. There was a clear improvement in dementia-related behavior among the clients who visited the farm. To track behavior, the researchers used a scoring system called the Modified Nursing Home Behavior Problem Scale, in which staff at the center rated the frequency of the participants’ fidgeting, resisting care, becoming upset, or losing their temper on days they either went to the farm or stayed at the center. On a scale of zero to four—zero meaning the client never engaged in the problem behavior and four meaning that they always engaged in it—scores for the participants who went to the farm were on average one point lower than the scores for their peers who stayed at the center. An unexpected benefit also emerged from the study: the therapy boosted physical activity. Each of the clients had some kind of physical limitation, but engagement with the animals inspired each of them to push the boundaries of their abilities. lients who never wanted to leave their wheelchair asked for help in standing up; others who rarely walked stood up and moved unassisted. The clients grew increasingly physically active with each subsequent visit to the farm. Family members also reported that their loved one remained engaged with the experience even after returning home. One commented to researchers that her mother “would never remember what she did at the center during the day, but she always remembered what she did at the farm.” JOHNNY RUN CIMA FOR OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
A
small pilot study conducted at Ohio State University, in cooperation with an equine therapy center and an adult daycare facility, found that short sessions in which people with Alzheimer’s disease groomed, fed, and walked horses resulted in an elevated mood and better responses to their care and other therapies. Equine therapy is already being used in other cases, including for teens and children with emotional problems and developmental disorders. Now it might also become a widely accepted treatment for adults with dementia. Holly Dabelko-Shoeny, an associate professor of social work at Ohio State, feels that equine therapy could supplement other forms of animal therapy, such as working with dogs or cats. “We wanted to test whether people with dementia could have positive interactions with horses, and we found that they absolutely can,” explained Dabelko-Schoeny. “The experience immediately lifted their mood, and we saw a connection to fewer incidents of negative behavior.” Alzheimer’s patients are often susceptible to a variety of emotional problems, including depression, social isolation, and increased aggression. While researchers search for cures and preventions, therapies have increasingly focused on easing the difficult emotional situations that arise for patients and their families. “Our focus is on now. What can we do to make them feel better and enjoy themselves right now? Even if they don’t remember it later, how can we help in this moment?” she said. At the participating adult daycare center in Columbus, a National Church Residences center for senior health, patients have a schedule
filled with crafts, exercise, and other activities aimed at improving their mental function. Sixteen of the center’s residents volunteered to participate in the study. Half the participants remained at the center, while the other half made weekly visits to the nearby Field of Dreams Equine Education Center in Blacklick, Ohio. There, under the supervision of National Church Residences caretakers and faculty and students from the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Social Work at Ohio State, the participants were asked to bathe, feed, groom, and walk horses. Four horses from the Field of Dreams therapeutic program were chosen to participate, based on their gentle dispositions. The researchers saw obvious signs that the clients enjoyed their time on the farm:
C