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Song: Effects of a Robot Pet-assisted Program for Elderly People with Dementia
Original Article
Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing 2009; 39(4): 562-573.

Published online: 31 August 2009

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2009.39.4.562

Effects of a Robot Pet-assisted Program for Elderly People with Dementia

Jung Hee Song

Full-time Lecturer, Department of Nursing, Kimcheon Science College, Gimcheon, Korea.

Address reprint requests to: Song, Jung Hee. Department of Nursing, Kimcheon Science College, 480 Samrak-dong, Gimcheon 740-703, Korea. Tel: 82-54-420-9216, Fax: 82-54-420-9279, sjh1994@hanmail.net

Received 21 October 2008       Accepted 24 July 2009

Copyright © 2009 Korean Society of Nursing Science

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects on the cognitive function, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), mood, social behaviors, and problematic behaviors of robot pet-assisted program for elderly people with dementia.

Methods

This study was a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 32 elders with dementia. Seventeen were assigned to the experimental group and 15 to the control group. The intervention was conducted twice a week for 6 weeks.

Results

1) After the program, cognitive function, ADL, and social behaviors did not show significant differences. 2) After the program, mood of experimental group was significantly better than that of the control group. 3) After the program, problematic behaviors of the experimental group were significantly more diminished than those of control group. 4) As a result of analyzing the response, robot pet-assisted program was effective such as inducing a positive emotional state and increasing communication and interaction.

Conclusion

The robot pet-assisted program was effective in changing the mood and diminishing problematic behaviors and had positive effects such as increasing communication and interaction for elders with dementia. Therefore, this program should be considered as a positive program for physical and emotional support for elders with dementia.

Keywords: Dementia, Robotics, Cognition, Mood, Social behavior

Figures and Tables

Table 1
Contents of Robot Pet-assisted Program
jkan-39-562-i001
Table 2
Homogeneity Test for General Characteristics
jkan-39-562-i002

*Fisher's exact test.

Table 3
Homogeneity Test for Dependent Variable between Experimental and Control group
jkan-39-562-i003

MMSE-K=Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination; ADL=Activities of Daily Living.

Table 4
Cognitive Function, ADL, Mood, Social Behaviors and Problematic Behaviors for Experimental Group and Control Group
jkan-39-562-i004

*F value of ANCOVA with pretest problematic behaviors as covariate.

MMSE-K=Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination; ADL=Activities of Daily Living.

Notes

This article is based on a part of the author's doctoral thesis from Hanyang University.

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