The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series
Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are very common, and their management remains challenging. In older people with dementia, equine-assisted therapy (EAT) may be a promising nonpharmacological intervention for the management of BPSD. Here, we present five cases of patients with...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/crps/8785490 |
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| author | Beatriz Pozuelo Moyano Jean Pierre Schuster Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart Leonardo Zullo Charline Compagne Caroline Imobersteg Armin von Gunten Pierre Vandel |
| author_facet | Beatriz Pozuelo Moyano Jean Pierre Schuster Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart Leonardo Zullo Charline Compagne Caroline Imobersteg Armin von Gunten Pierre Vandel |
| author_sort | Beatriz Pozuelo Moyano |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are very common, and their management remains challenging. In older people with dementia, equine-assisted therapy (EAT) may be a promising nonpharmacological intervention for the management of BPSD. Here, we present five cases of patients with agitation and aggression due to moderate-to-severe dementia. They had overall two to three sessions of EAT at a frequency of one session per week. We assessed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) score before and 1 day after the second EAT session. We observed a discrete reduction in the NPI-Q after the EAT sessions, although not all of the improvements experienced by patients, families, and carers were reflected in the NPI-Q. Future studies should be conducted to assess subjective lived experiences of EAT in patients with moderate-to-severe dementia. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b849a220aa9b41a285fd31003baed1c4 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2090-6838 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-b849a220aa9b41a285fd31003baed1c42025-08-20T02:23:08ZengWileyCase Reports in Psychiatry2090-68382025-01-01202510.1155/crps/8785490The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case SeriesBeatriz Pozuelo Moyano0Jean Pierre Schuster1Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart2Leonardo Zullo3Charline Compagne4Caroline Imobersteg5Armin von Gunten6Pierre Vandel7Service of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryService of Old Age PsychiatryBehavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are very common, and their management remains challenging. In older people with dementia, equine-assisted therapy (EAT) may be a promising nonpharmacological intervention for the management of BPSD. Here, we present five cases of patients with agitation and aggression due to moderate-to-severe dementia. They had overall two to three sessions of EAT at a frequency of one session per week. We assessed the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI-Q) score before and 1 day after the second EAT session. We observed a discrete reduction in the NPI-Q after the EAT sessions, although not all of the improvements experienced by patients, families, and carers were reflected in the NPI-Q. Future studies should be conducted to assess subjective lived experiences of EAT in patients with moderate-to-severe dementia.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/crps/8785490 |
| spellingShingle | Beatriz Pozuelo Moyano Jean Pierre Schuster Kevin Swierkosz-Lenart Leonardo Zullo Charline Compagne Caroline Imobersteg Armin von Gunten Pierre Vandel The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series Case Reports in Psychiatry |
| title | The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series |
| title_full | The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series |
| title_short | The Use of Equine-Assisted Therapy in Patients With Aggression and Agitation Behaviors due to Moderate-to-Severe Dementia: A Case Series |
| title_sort | use of equine assisted therapy in patients with aggression and agitation behaviors due to moderate to severe dementia a case series |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/crps/8785490 |
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