How canine companions could help treat Alzheimer's
Study to see if service dogs can give Alzheimer's patients more independence
Service dogs have been helping those with disabilities navigate the world for decades.
Now researchers are studying whether they should take on a new role — helping seniors with Alzheimer's disease.
"They're unbelievable dogs," said Judes Poirier, a McGill psychology professor who is helping to conduct the study.
The study will give 21 couples, where one person is in the early stages of Alzheimer's, a service dog for the two-year study. They'll be able to keep the dog afterward.
The hypothesis is that the dogs will slow Alzheimer's progression, gaining one to two years of independence for the patient.
The hope is that this treatment will be better than any drug on the market, said Poirier.
"You have to take care of your dog. You have to walk around your neighbourhood. So it's helping create more social opportunities," said Nicolas Dollion, a post-doctoral researcher at Université de Montréal.
The dogs used in the study are trained and bred by the Mira Foundation, a Quebec not-for-profit that trains service dogs for the visually impaired and children with Autism.
The research is important because over the last decade there have been no breakthroughs in treating Alzheimer's with drugs.
Poirier calls the pharmaceutical progress of late, "pathetic."
However, researchers have found that exercise and social interactions can have an impact on the progression of Alzheimer's.
"The dog is all of that in one package," said Poirier.
The service dogs also offer security to the elderly.
It's not uncommon for those with Alzheimer's to wander out of their homes in the middle of the night and that can be deadly, especially in the winter.
The dogs will bark if a person with Alzheimer's tries to leave the house, said Poirier.
The study is looking for people with Alzheimer's who live with a partner to help care for the dog, but also because spouses can benefit from canine companionship.
"Spouses often develop depression and we believe it's the excess of stress and anxiety that comes with the disease," said Poirier.
Researchers hope the dogs could become a non-pharmaceutical treatment for Alzheimer's. A similar treatment is offered to children with Autism. So far five patients with Alzheimer's have been paired with the canine companions.
"Your interaction with the dog is always positive. You have this lovely relationship that you're building with them," said Dollion.
With files from Simon Nakonechny