L’ippoterapia è un approccio riabilitativo assistito con gli animali. Interventi Assistiti con gli Animali (IAA) è un termine generale per indicare diversi tipi di interventi: a valenza terapeutica, riabilitativa, educativa, didattica e ricreativa, che prevedono il coinvolgimento di animali domestici e che sono rivolti prevalentemente a persone affette da disturbi della sfera fisica, neuromotoria, mentale e psichica. Gli IAA possono anche essere indirizzati a individui sani. Tra gli IAA vi è la Terapia Assistita con gli Animali (TAA): un intervento di supporto ad altre terapie (co-terapia) finalizzato alla cura di disturbi della sfera fisica, neuro e psicomotoria, cognitiva, emotiva e relazionale. La TAA, come l’ippoterapia, è rivolta a soggetti affetti da patologie fisiche, psichiche, sensoriali o plurime, di qualunque origine. L’ippoterapia, o riabilitazione equestre, è una terapia assistita con gli animali che prevede l’impiego del cavallo. Per maggiori informazioni sugli IAA si rimanda alla guida dell’Istituto Superiore di Sanità.
The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life, Mood, Balance and Gait in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease
Objectives:
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of equine therapy (ET) to detect changes in the activities of daily living, quality of life, mood, balance, and gait in individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD).
Material and Methods:
In the study, 17 participants with PD were recruited to participate in 10 sessions of ET. The inclusion criteria of the study were: second and third stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) greater than or equal to 24 points, and age up to 85 years. The outcome measures administered at the beginning and the end of treatment relied on measurements from the Rivermead ADL scale, Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS), and Tinetti balance assessment. Data from the stabilometric platform were also collected to objectify the value obtained by the Tinetti balance assessment. The ET program included 10 biweekly 45 min sessions.
Results:
The results obtained included statistically significant increases in measurements from the Rivermead ADL, PDQ-39, UPDRS, SDS, and Tinetti balance assessment scales. The stabilometric platform did not report significant changes in data.
Conclusion:
ET that was used as a supportive therapy for traditional treatments resulted in statistically significant improvements in the occupational performance, mood, quality of life, gait, and balance of the participants. Data from the stabilometric platform did not show significant changes.
Berardi A, Di Napoli G, Ernesto M, Fabbrini G, Conte A, Ferrazzano G, Viselli F, Galeoto G. The Effectiveness of Equine Therapy Intervention on Activities of Daily Living, Quality of Life, Mood, Balance and Gait in Individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Healthcare. 2022; 10(3):561. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10030561
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