Pozuelo Moyano Beatriz, Schuster Jean Pierre, Swierkosz-Lenart Kevin, Zullo Leonardo, Compagne Charline, Imobersteg Caroline, von Gunten Armin, Vandel Pierre
Service of Old Age Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Prilly 1008, Switzerland.
Leenaards Memory Center, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1011, Switzerland.
Case Rep Psychiatry. 2025 Jun 4;2025:8785490. doi: 10.1155/crps/8785490. eCollection 2025.
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.
痴呆的行为和心理症状（BPSD）非常常见，对其进行管理仍然具有挑战性。在患有痴呆的老年人中，马术辅助疗法（EAT）可能是一种有前景的非药物干预措施，用于管理BPSD。在此，我们介绍5例因中度至重度痴呆而出现激越和攻击行为的患者。他们总共接受了两到三次EAT治疗，每周一次。我们在第二次EAT治疗前和治疗后1天评估了神经精神科问卷（NPI-Q）评分。我们观察到EAT治疗后NPI-Q评分有明显降低，尽管患者、家属和护理人员所体验到的所有改善并未都反映在NPI-Q中。未来应开展研究，以评估中度至重度痴呆患者对EAT的主观生活体验。
