Date of Award
Winter 12-19-2020
Document Type
Capstone
Degree Name
Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD)
Department
Occupational Therapy
First Advisor
Susan MacDermott
Second Advisor
Becki Cohill
Third Advisor
Erin Schwier
Medical Subject Headings
Dementia, Equine-Assisted Therapy, Affect, Memory, Socialization, Quality of Life, Occupational Therapy, Geriatrics, Program Development
Abstract
Individuals living with dementia typically experience progressive, cognitive, and functional decline which limits their ability to communicate and fully perform activities (Pimouguet el al., 2019). Horses have been shown to benefit individuals with dementia by improving well-being, physical health, functional capacity, and social relationships (Fields et. al., 2019).
A 6-week OT-based virtual equine-assisted activities program was conducted to determine if participation in equine-assisted activities could improve the quality of life of individuals with dementia. Outcomes of the program resulted in improvements in mood, energy level, engagement, communication, memory, socialization, and overall quality of life.
Recommended Citation
Fearn, L. (2020). Benefits of Equine-Based Therapy for Individuals with Dementia. [Doctoral project, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences]. SOAR @ USA: Student Capstone Papers Collection. https://doi.org/10.46409/sr.GKDS8152
Related Content
This capstone project has also been presented as a poster:
Fearn, L., Cohill, B., Park, K., & Gipson, M. (2020, December 11). Enhancing quality of life for individuals with dementia through a virtual OT-based equine-assisted activities program. Poster presented at the Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium, University of St Augustine for Health Sciences. https://soar.usa.edu/otdcapstonesfall2020/8
Included in
Geriatrics Commons, Neurology Commons, Occupational Therapy Commons, Other Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons
Comments
Capstone project submitted to the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Occupational Therapy.