Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Frankston, Australia.
Rehabilitation, Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Frankston, Australia.
Disabil Rehabil. 2023 Feb;45(3):469-482. doi: 10.1080/09638288.2022.2034993. Epub 2022 Feb 10.
To evaluate a dog-walking program (called "Dog Buddies") designed to address the need for evidence-based programs that create opportunities for people with cognitive disabilities to be more socially included in mainstream society. The research question was: Does community dog walking foster social interaction for people with cognitive disabilities?
Single-case experimental design was used with four individuals (three with intellectual disability; one with Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)) recruited two disability service providers in Victoria. Target behaviours included frequency and nature of encounters between the person with disability and community members. Change was measured from baseline (five community meetings with a handler but no dog) to intervention period (five meetings minimum, with a handler and a dog). Semi-structured interviews, audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim, provided three participants' subjective experiences of the program.
Dog Buddies increased the frequency of encounters for all participants. The presence of the dog helped to foster convivial encounters, community members were found to be more welcoming, and some participants were recognised or acknowledged by name over time in the intervention phase.
The dog-walking program offered a simple means of influencing the frequency and depth of community-based social interactions for people with cognitive disabilities.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONThe co-presence of people with disabilities in the community with the general population does not ensure social interaction occurs.Both disability policy, and the programs or support that is provided to people with disabilities, needs to have a strong commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities in mainstream communities.Dog Buddies is a promising example of a program where the presence of a pet dog has been demonstrated to support convivial, bi-directional encounters of people with cognitive disabilities and other community members.Dog-walking offers a simple means of influencing the frequency and depth of community-based social interactions for people with cognitive disabilities.
评估一项遛狗计划（称为“狗伙伴”），旨在满足为有认知障碍的人提供基于证据的方案的需求，使他们有更多机会在主流社会中更具社交包容性。研究问题是：社区遛狗是否促进了认知障碍者的社交互动？
采用单案例实验设计，招募了维多利亚州的两名残疾服务提供者和四名参与者（三名智力残疾者，一名获得性脑损伤者）。目标行为包括残疾人和社区成员之间互动的频率和性质。变化是从基线（与 handler 但无狗的五次社区会议）到干预期（至少五次会议，与 handler 和狗）进行测量。半结构化访谈、音频记录并逐字转录，提供了三名参与者对该计划的主观体验。
“狗伙伴”计划增加了所有参与者互动的频率。狗的存在有助于促进融洽的互动，社区成员变得更加欢迎，并且在干预阶段，一些参与者随着时间的推移被认出来或被点名。
遛狗计划为有认知障碍的人提供了一种简单的方法来影响基于社区的社交互动的频率和深度。
残疾人和普通人群在社区中的共同存在并不能确保社交互动的发生。残疾政策以及为残疾人提供的方案或支持，需要坚定承诺将残疾人纳入主流社区。“狗伙伴”计划是一个有前途的例子，证明了宠物狗的存在可以支持认知障碍者和其他社区成员之间愉快、双向的互动。遛狗为有认知障碍的人提供了一种简单的方法来影响基于社区的社交互动的频率和深度。
