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https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464820962619
Journal of Applied Gerontology
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DOI: 10.1177/0733464820962619
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Original Manuscript
Introduction
In the United Kingdom there are approximately 850,000
people living with dementia, around two thirds of whom
reside at home (Prince et al., 2014). In the United States,
approximately 80% of the 5.5 million people living with
dementia reside at home (Lepore et al., 2017). As demen-
tia prevention or cure remains elusive, a key policy and
research focus has been on helping those with dementia to
live well (Clare et al., 2019; Department of Health, 2015;
Martyr et al., 2018). Part of living well with dementia is
being able to continue activities that were enjoyed prior to
diagnosis (Harding et al., 2019). Pet ownership may be
one such activity and is common among the general popu-
lation (Obradović et al., 2019; People’s Dispensary for
Sick Animals [PDSA], 2019).
Within the general U.K. adult population, 49% of people
own a pet (PDSA, 2019). It has been argued that pet owner-
ship could promote positive psychological outcomes such as
reduced loneliness, decreased stress following the loss of a
loved one, and depression, through companionship and
purpose, as well as improving physical health through the
increased activity required to look after pets (Barker &
Wolen, 2008; Beetz et al., 2012; Curl et al., 2016; Dall et al.,
2017; Hughes et al., 2020; Hui Gan et al., 2019; Janevic
et al., 2019; Krause-Parello, 2012; Obradović et al., 2019).
Not all research has supported this proposition. Some studies
have reported more equivocal results, for example, higher
levels of depressive symptoms and loneliness in pet owners
(Gee & Mueller, 2019; Obradović et al., 2019; Parslow et al.,
962619JAGXXX10.1177/0733464820962619Journal of Applied GerontologyOpdebeeck et al.
research-article2020
Manuscript received: March 27, 2020; final revision received: July
24, 2020; accepted: September 3, 2020.
1Manchester Metropolitan University, UK
2University of Exeter, UK
3Alzheimer’s Society, London, UK
4Brunel University London, Uxbridge, UK
5University New South Wales Sydney, Australia
Corresponding Author:
Carol Opdebeeck, Department of Psychology, Manchester Metropolitan
University, Manchester, M15 6GX, UK.
Email: c.opdebeeck@mmu.ac.uk
What Are the Benefits of Pet Ownership
and Care Among People With
Mild-to-Moderate Dementia?
Findings From the IDEAL programme
Carol Opdebeeck1, Michael A. Katsaris1, Anthony Martyr2 ,
Ruth A. Lamont2, James A. Pickett3, Isla Rippon4,
Jeanette M. Thom5, Christina Victor4,
and Linda Clare2, on behalf of the IDEAL programme team
Abstract
Pet ownership has been associated with positive outcomes in many populations, yet the associations with physical and
psychological wellbeing in people with dementia remain unclear. The current study used baseline data from 1,542 people
living at home with mild-to-moderate dementia from the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active
Life (IDEAL) programme. Regression analyses investigated associations of pet ownership and pet care with self-reports of
walking, loneliness, depression, and quality of life (QoL). After adjusting for covariates, having any pet was associated with
higher likelihood of walking over 3 hr in the last week. Those with a dog and who were involved in its care were less likely
to be lonely than those with no dog. Having any pet but no involvement in its care was associated with increased depression
and decreased QoL compared with those without a pet. The key factor in the associations was involvement in the care of
the pet by the person with dementia.
Keywords
quality of life, Alzheimer’s disease, loneliness, depression, animals/pets
2 Journal of Applied Gerontology 00(0)
2005; Pikhartova et al., 2014) potentially because people get
a pet in response to loneliness or depression (Pikhartova
et al., 2014). It should also be noted that the majority of this
research is from Western cultures, and the results may be
conflicting as some of the associations may be bidirectional.
For instance, a large longitudinal cohort study identified that
loneliness at earlier time points was associated with pet own-
ership, in addition to pet ownership being associated with
future reports of loneliness in women (Pikhartova et al.,
2014).
It is unclear from existing research how pet ownership
may affect those living with dementia. For those with cogni-
tive impairments, pets may provide nonjudgemental interac-
tions that are reassuring, but pet ownership or pet care may
also place a burden on the person with dementia. Identifying
the benefits and difficulties of pet ownership in people liv-
ing with dementia could help when making difficult deci-
sions around pet ownership and inform future interventions.
The majority of research in this area involving people with
dementia has examined Animal-Assisted Interventions
(AAI). AAI are interventions that are characterized by an
interaction with a trained animal, generally in a controlled
environment (Nordgren & Engstrom, 2014; Pitheckoff
et al., 2018). For example, a trained dog may be brought into
a nursing home and participants in the AAI provided with a
time-limited opportunity to engage with the animal via pet-
ting, brushing or giving the animal treats. There is limited
evidence that AAI can benefit people with dementia, albeit
of varying quality. AAI have been associated with reduced
depression and agitation and increased social interaction,
cognitive function and quality of life (QoL; Freedman et al.,
2020; Menna et al., 2016; Travers et al., 2013; Wong &
Breheny, 2020; Yakimicki et al., 2019) but little to support
the premise that AAI is beneficial for people with dementia
(e.g., Wong & Breheny, 2020; Zafra-Tanaka et al., 2019).
The experience of interacting with animals within residen-
tial or day care settings is likely to be fundamentally differ-
ent from that experienced by pet owners living in the
community. For example, pet owners are able to spend more
time with and take greater ownership of the animal
(Obradović et al., 2019), which may have implications for
the ability to bond and interact with the animal.
We identified only one published study that sought to
investigate the role of pets in the lives of people living with
dementia as part of a larger American intervention study for
female spouses of men with dementia. Connell et al. (2007)
conducted telephone interviews with 62 female spouses of
men with dementia who had a pet. Participants reported that
pets played a unique support role, promoted calm, offered
focus, diversion and distraction, and provided companion-
ship or friendship for their spouse with dementia. However,
they also reported that the relationship between the person
with dementia and the pet had changed since diagnosis and
the carers themselves had less time to care for the pets.
To date no study has considered the association of pet
ownership with physical activity, loneliness, depression,
and QoL, or the extent to which the individual is directly
involved in caring for the pet as opposed to simply living in
the same household as the pet.
To summarize, previous research with wider society has
shown that having a pet and being involved in caring for it
is associated with greater physical activity, better cardiovas-
cular health, less depression and loneliness, and better QoL
(Barker & Wolen, 2008; Beetz et al., 2012; Curl et al., 2016;
Dall et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2020; Hui Gan et al., 2019;
Janevic et al., 2019; Krause-Parello, 2012). Meanwhile, in
relation to dementia the majority of research on the effects
of interacting with animals has been conducted with people
living in residential care where animals are used as part of
an intervention; however, this is markedly different to own-
ing and caring for a pet as a natural part of everyday life.
The current study aimed to expand our understanding of the
role pets can play in the lives of people with dementia by
investigating the associations quantitatively within a large
cohort of community-dwelling people with mild-to-moder-
ate dementia. The study utilizes baseline data from the
Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing
Active Life (IDEAL) programme which asks a large cohort
of people with dementia themselves about pet ownership,
alongside other important outcome variables (Clare et al.,
2014; Silarova et al., 2018). The overarching aim of the cur-
rent study was to investigate whether having a pet, and the
degree of involvement in its care, was associated with phys-
ical activity, loneliness, depression or QoL in people living
with dementia. As most AAI studies in people with demen-
tia have employed dogs, we wanted to investigate whether
there was a stronger association with dog ownership com-
pared with ownership of other animals in community-dwell-
ing people with dementia.
Method
Design
The current study utilized baseline data from the IDEAL pro-
gramme; a longitudinal cohort study of people with dementia
and carers. Details of the aims and procedures can be found
in the programme protocols (Clare et al., 2014; Silarova
et al., 2018). The IDEAL study was approved by the Wales
Research Ethics Committee 5 (reference 13/WA/0405) and
the Ethics Committee of the School of Psychology, Bangor
University (reference 2014-11684). IDEAL is registered
with the U.K. Clinical Research Network, number 16593.
The present study utilized IDEAL baseline data version 4.0.
Study Population
At baseline the IDEAL cohort comprised 1,547 people with
dementia and 1,283 carers. Our article focuses on the views
of people with dementia. Inclusion criteria were a clinical
Opdebeeck et al. 3
diagnosis of dementia (any subtype) and a Mini-Mental State
Examination (MMSE; Folstein et al., 1975) score of 15 or
above (indicating mild-to-moderate stages of dementia), and
participants had to be residing in the community at the time
of enrolment into the study. Participant recruitment took
place across 29 National Health Service (NHS) sites between
July 2014 and August 2016. Exclusion criteria were terminal
illness, inability to provide informed consent, and any known
potential for home visits to pose a danger to researchers.
Measures
Pet ownership was assessed through several questions.
Participants were asked if they had no pets, one pet, or more
than one pet. If they had a pet, they were asked to specify the
type of animal(s); questions were adapted from Connell et al.
(2007). As previous research has found involvement in car-
ing for the animal to be an important factor (Parslow et al.,
2005), a question asking whether the person with dementia
was involved in the care of the animal was also included and
responses were dichotomized into no involvement in care
versus involvement in the care of the animal.
Outcome Measures
Physical activity was assessed with a single question about
how much walking the participant had done in the previous
week, taken from the General Practice Physical Activity
Questionnaire (GPPAQ; National Health Service, 2009). To
match the U.K. NHS (2019) recommendations of at least 150
min of moderate activity per week, participants were grouped
into those who walked less than 3 hr in the last week and
those who had walked 3 hr or more in the last week.
Loneliness was assessed with the De Jong Gierveld 6-item
loneliness scale (DJG-6; De Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg,
2006). This scale comprises two subscales assessing social
and emotional loneliness. The scales were combined to pro-
vide an overall loneliness score with possible scores ranging
from zero to six with higher scores indicating greater loneli-
ness. In accordance with the measure guidance and previous
research, participants were allocated on the basis of their
scores to one of three groups: not lonely (score of 0–1), mod-
erately lonely (scores of 2–4), and severely lonely (scores of
5–6; De Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg, 1999). As there was a
very low number of participants in the severely lonely group
(n = 75) in the IDEAL cohort (see Victor et al., 2020, for
more detail), the severely and moderately lonely categories
were grouped together into a “lonely” group, as in previous
IDEAL programme studies (e.g., Clare et al., in press). The
authors report good reliability (Cronbach’s α between .70
and .76, De Jong Gierveld & Van Tilburg, 2006). In the
IDEAL cohort DJG-6 has a Cronbach’s alpha of .67.
The Geriatric Depression Scale-10 (GDS-10; Almeida &
Almeida, 1999) was used to measure depression in partici-
pants living with dementia, with higher scores indicating
more self-reported depressive symptoms. For the purposes of
the analysis, the sample was dichotomized into not depressed
(GDS-10 = 0–3) and depressed (GDS-10 = 4–10), as in pre-
vious IDEAL programme studies (e.g., Clare et al., in press;
Wu et al., 2019). The measure has good reliability (Cronbac h’s
α = .75) and is a suitable screening instrument for major
depression as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV; 4th ed.; American
Psychiatric Association, 1994) with a test–retest reliability of
.84 (Almeida & Almeida, 1999). In the IDEAL cohort GDS-
10 has a Cronbach’s alpha of .74.
The Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease scale
(QoL-AD; Logsdon et al., 2000) assessed QoL. The measure
comprises 13 items with responses given on a 4-point scale
(1 = poor to 4 = excellent) and incorporates multiple aspects
of life including financial situation, relationships, health sta-
tus, and mood. Scores were summed to provide a total rang-
ing from 13 to 52 with higher scores indicating more positive
ratings of QoL. The scale has good reliability (Cronbach’s
α = .84 to .88) and good test–retest reliability (.76–.92;
Logsdon et al., 2000). In the IDEAL cohort QoL-AD has a
Cronbach’s alpha of .86.
Covariates
Covariates considered in the analyses included key vari-
ables identified as having an association with the outcomes
in previous IDEAL publications: age, gender, type of
dementia—Alzheimer’s disease (AD) versus non-Alzheim-
er’s dementia (non-AD), functional ability, living situation
(alone, with spouse/partner or with others; see Clare et al.,
in press, for details), and cognitive function. Functional
ability was assessed with a modified 11-item Functional
Abilities Questionnaire (FAQ; Martyr et al., 2012; Pfeffer
et al., 1982) with participants grouped into six levels from
no functional impairment (Level 1, score = 0) to the highest
level of functional impairment (Level 6, scores = 26–33) as
was previously described by Martyr et al. (2019). Cognitive
function was assessed with the Addenbrooke’s Cognitive
Examination-III (ACE-III; Hsieh et al., 2013), which has a
maximum possible total score of 100 with higher scores
indicating better cognitive function.
Procedure
Information was collected from people with dementia and
informants who were visited at home by a researcher on
three occasions spread over a few weeks. Informed consent
was obtained from both the person with dementia and from
the informant (where available).
Data Analysis
Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v25. The number of
participants varies by analyses due to variations in the
4 Journal of Applied Gerontology 00(0)
level of missing data, with sample size numbers indicated
for each analysis in the results. Associations between key
characteristics (age, gender, type of dementia, functional
ability, living situation, and general cognitive function)
and the outcomes of interest (physical activity, loneliness,
depression, and QoL) were assessed with t tests, chi-
square, Spearman’s rho correlations or analysis of vari-
ance (ANOVA) as appropriate to the type of data,
conditional upon test assumptions being met. As previous
AAI research has focused on dogs, this study considered
first pet ownership in general (i.e., any animal), and sec-
ond dog ownership specifically, before considering the
interactions of pet and dog ownership with involvement in
the care of the pet as potential predictors. Multiple gener-
alized linear and binary regressions were then conducted,
adjusting for key characteristics that were significantly
associated with each outcome. Separate regressions were
conducted for each key predictor: pet versus no pet, dog
versus no dog, having a pet and involvement in its care or
having a pet and no involvement in its care versus no pet,
and finally having a dog and involvement in its care or
having a dog and no involvement in its care versus no dog.
Holm–Bonferroni corrections for multiple comparisons
were applied to all analyses.
Results
Of the 1,547 people with dementia in the baseline IDEAL
cohort 1,542 answered the pet questions; however, not all
participants had data for all other included variables. The
majority of the participants (n = 1,075; 69.7%) responded
that they did not have any pets, while the remaining 467
(30.3%) participants responded that they had at least one pet.
The most prevalent type of animal was a dog (n = 271,
17.5%) followed by a cat (n = 197, 12.7%), with 80 partici-
pants (5.2%) having a different type of animal, as well as or
instead of a dog or cat. Other kinds of animal were horses
(n = 5), fish (n = 22), birds (n = 39), guinea pigs (n = 4),
tortoises (n = 4), hamsters (n = 1), rabbits (n = 3), ferrets
(n = 1), and various reptiles (n = 6). Of those with pets, 330
(70.7% of those with pets) were involved in the care of their
animal, with 195 participants (41.8% of those with pets)
involved in the care of a dog specifically. Table 1 provides an
overview of sample characteristics and key variables includ-
ing the number of participants with data for these variables
and whether there were differences between those who did
and did not have a pet. Table 1 shows that there were unad-
justed significant associations between those with and with-
out a pet for age, living situation, physical activity, cognitive
function, and depression; the unadjusted associations
between pet ownership and gender, type of dementia, func-
tional ability, loneliness, and QoL were nonsignificant. In the
unadjusted associations, pet owners were significantly more
likely to walk 3 hr or more per week, to be younger, to live
with a spouse or other, to have better cognitive function, and
to be depressed than non-pet owners.
A series of adjusted regression analyses was used to assess
the associations of pet ownership, dog ownership, and the
interaction with caring for the animal with physical activity,
loneliness, depression, and QoL (see Table 2). All models
were adjusted for those variables that were significantly
associated with the outcomes; the associated covariates are
discussed in relation to each outcome below.
Physical Activity
Age, gender, type of dementia, functional ability, living situ-
ation, and cognitive function were significantly associated
with physical activity and were adjusted for in the following
analyses. Those with pets were 1.4 times more likely to walk
for over 3 hr per week compared with those without a pet
(N = 1,361, p = .006). Those with a dog were 1.8 times
more likely to walk for over 3 hr per week compared with
those without a dog (N = 1,360, p < .001). Those with a pet
who were involved in its care were 1.8 times more likely to
walk for over 3 hr per week compared with those without a
pet (N = 1,358, p < .001). Those with a dog who were
involved in its care were 2.5 times more likely to walk for
over 3 hr per week in comparison with those without a dog
(N = 1,357, p < .001). There was no difference in the amount
of walking between those with a pet or dog with no involve-
ment in the animal’s care and those with no pet or dog.
Loneliness
Age, living situation, and functional ability were signifi-
cantly associated with loneliness and were adjusted for in the
following analyses. Those who had a dog and were involved
in its care were 35% less likely to be lonely than those who
had no dog (N = 1,397, p = .018). There was no difference
in loneliness in the adjusted models between those with and
without a pet, those with a dog, or those with no involvement
in the pet’s care.
Depression
Type of dementia and functional ability were significantly
associated with depression and were adjusted for in the fol-
lowing analyses. Those with a pet who were not involved in
its care were 1.8 times more likely to be depressed than those
with no pet (N = 1,445, p = .004). Similarly, those with a dog
who were not involved in the dog’s care were 2.2 times more
likely to be depressed than those with no dog (N = 1,444,
p = .003). There was no difference in depression levels in the
adjusted models between those with and without a pet, those
with a dog, or those involved in the pet’s care.
QoL
Age, type of dementia, and functional ability were signifi-
cantly associated with QoL and were adjusted for in the fol-
lowing analyses. Having a pet but no involvement in its care
Opdebeeck et al. 5
was associated with a 1.58 point decrease in QoL score in
comparison with having no pet (N = 1,357, p = .004).
Similarly, having a dog but with no involvement in the dog’s
care was associated with a 2.13 point decrease in QoL score
Table 1. Descriptive Information for Key Variables and Their Association With Pet Ownership.
Variable (n) Categories/range n (%)/mean (SD) Yes pet (any animal) No pet Test statistic
Age (1,542) 43–98 76.35 (8.60) 73.01 (9.20) 77.80 (7.84) 10.43***(t)
Gender (1,542) Male 866 (56.2%) 278 (59.5%) 588 (54.7%) 3.09 (χ2)
Female 676 (43.8%) 189 (40.5%) 487 (45.3%)
Type of dementia (1,542) AD 856 (55.5%) 240 (51.4%) 616 (57.3%) 4.61*(χ2)
Non-AD dementia 686 (44.5%) 227 (48.6%) 459 (42.7%)
Functional ability (1,489) Level 1 136 (9.1%) 35 (7.7%) 101 (9.7%)
Level 2 422 (28.3%) 123 (27.2%) 299 (28.8%)
Level 3 286 (19.2%) 87 (19.2%) 199 (19.2%) 4.98 (χ2)
Level 4 396 (26.6%) 119 (26.3%) 277 (26.7%)
Level 5 187 (12.6%) 68 (15.0%) 119 (11.5%)
Level 6 62 (4.2%) 20 (4.4%) 42 (4.1%)
Living situation (1,536) Alone 285 (18.6%) 63 (13.5%) 222 (20.7%)
With spouse/partner 1,163 (75.7%) 355 (76.3%) 808 (75.4%) 31.36***(χ2)
With Other 88 (5.7%) 47 (10.1%) 41 (3.8%)
Cognitive function (1,440) 21–99 69.28 (13.19) 71.06 (13.19) 68.53 (13.19) 3.35* (t)
Physical activity (1,505) 3 hr or more per
week
684 (45.4%) 246 (53.6%) 438 (41.9%) 17.68*** (χ2)
Less than 3 hr per
week
821 (54.6%) 213 (46.4%) 608 (58.1%)
Loneliness (1,441) Not lonely 934 (64.8%) 282 (64.1%) 652 (65.1%) 0.15 (χ2)
Lonely 507 (35.9%) 158 (35.9%) 349 (34.9%)
Depression (1,497) Not depressed 1,043 (69.7%) 296 (65.5%) 747 (71.5%) 5.37*(χ2)
Depressed 454 (30.3%) 156 (34.5%) 298 (28.5%)
Quality of life (1,402) 17–52 37.00 (5.92) 36.29 (5.75) 37.00 (6.28) 2.01*(t)
Note. Complete data n represents number of participants that had complete data for that specific variable and for the pets variable. AD = Alzheimer’s
disease.
*p < .05, ***p < .001, bold indicates significant at the 5% level after Holm–Bonferroni correction.
Table 2. Multiple Linear and Binary Regressions for the Associations of Pet Ownership and Pet Care With Loneliness, Walking,
Depression, and Quality of Life.
Pet status
Physical activity (less
than 3 hr per week
ref) OR (95% CI)
Lonely (not
lonely ref) OR
(95% CI)
Depression (not
depressed ref) OR
(95% CI)
Quality of life (linear)
change in score
(95% CI)
Pets Yes, has a pet 1.42** [1.10, 1.84] 0.93 [0.72, 1.20] 1.23 [0.95, 1.58] −0.02 [−0.69, 0.65]
No pet Ref Ref Ref Ref
Dog Yes, dog 1.83*** [1.35, 2.49] 0.86 [0.63, 1.17] 1.27 [0.95, 1.72] −0.35 [−1.15, 0.45]
No dog Ref Ref Ref Ref
Pet*Care Pet and cares 1.80*** [1.35, 2.40] 0.77 [0.58, 1.04] 1.03 [0.77, 1.38] 0.63 [−0.12, 1.38]
Pet and no care 0.76 [0.50, 1.17] 1.38 [0.92, 2.01] 1.79** [1.21, 2.68] –1.58** [−2.67, 0.50]
No Pet Ref Ref Ref Ref
Dog*Care Dog and care 2.46*** [1.72, 3.53] 0.65* [0.45, 0.93] 1.05 [0.68, 1.33] 0.49 [−0.15, 2.01]
Dog and no care 0.87 [0.50, 1.53] 1.66 [0.99, 2.80] 2.21** [1.32, 3.69] –2.13** [−3.55, 0.72]
No dog Ref Ref Ref −0.50 [−1.41, 0.42]
Note. Physical activity models adjusted for age, gender, AD vs. non-AD, functional ability and cognitive function; loneliness models adjusted for age and
functional ability; depression models adjusted for AD vs. non-AD and functional ability; quality of life models adjusted for age, AD vs. non-AD, functional
ability, and cognitive function. Ref: reference group. OR = odd ratio; CI = confidence interval; AD = Alzheimer’s disease.
*p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001, bold indicates significant at the 5% level after Holm–Bonferroni correction.
in comparison with having no dog (N = 1,356, p = .003).
There was no significant difference in QoL scores in the
adjusted models for those with or without a pet, those with a
dog, or those involved in the pet’s care.
6 Journal of Applied Gerontology 00(0)
Discussion
This is the first study to our knowledge that has quantita-
tively investigated associations of self-reported pet own-
ership and pet care with loneliness, physical activity,
depression, and QoL in a large cohort of people living
with dementia. The results indicate that the associations
are complex and are likely to be influenced by more than
just pet ownership; the involvement of the person with
dementia in the care of the animal was a key factor in the
associations. After adjustment for covariates, physical
activity was the only outcome associated with pet owner-
ship without considering involvement in care for the pet.
Those who had a pet of any kind and specifically a dog
were significantly more likely to walk over 3 hr per week
than those with no animal; the associations were stronger
when care for the animal was included, suggesting that
being actively involved in caring for an animal is an
important aspect of the benefits of pet ownership for peo-
ple living with dementia. In regards to loneliness, the only
significant association was for those with a dog and who
were involved in its care; this group were significantly
less likely to be lonely than those with no pet. In contrast,
the only significant associations for depression and QoL
were in those with a pet, or specifically a dog, and were
not involved in its care; this group were significantly more
likely to have depression and lower QoL scores than those
with no pet. This finding and the lack of direct associa-
tions between pet ownership on its own and depression or
QoL suggests there may be something specific about hav-
ing involvement in the care of the animal.
Previous research conducted with the wider population
has generally found more positive and direct physical and
psychological outcomes associated with pet ownership than
were found here (e.g., Barker & Wolen, 2008; Beetz et al.,
2012; Curl et al., 2016; Dall et al., 2017; Hughes et al., 2020;
Hui Gan et al., 2019; Krause-Parello, 2012; Obradović et al.,
2019). This is the first study to look at the role of pet owner-
ship from the perspective of people with dementia and so it
is possible that there may be more challenges associated with
pet ownership for this group; for instance, people may
become less physically able to care for a pet, and there is a
potential increased risk of falls that could be associated with
having certain types of pet in the home (Kurrle et al., 2004;
Obradović et al., 2019). This could explain why some quan-
titative studies have found more negative than positive out-
comes associated with pet ownership in older populations
(Obradović et al., 2019; Parslow et al., 2005). Instead, quali-
tative studies have generally reported more favorable out-
comes for older pet owners, such as reduced loneliness and
increased socialization through providing comfort and safety,
purposeful routine and structure, and a meaningful role,
focus, and diversion (Connell et al., 2007; Hui Gan et al.,
2019). The current study is the first to show both positive and
negative outcomes and highlight the variables that may con-
tribute to this variation.
There may be a number of other variables not considered
here that explain the association between having a pet but no
involvement in its care and a significantly higher likelihood
of having depression or reduced QoL. The analyses for these
outcomes were adjusted for functional ability so there may
be more to the association than whether or not the person is
able to help with the care of a pet. It is possible that “depres-
sive realism” (Alloy & Abramson, 1979) may be a factor,
with those who feel more depressed having less involvement
in the care of the animal. In addition, the carer’s approach to
and experience of caring has previously been associated with
QoL and wellbeing in people with dementia (Kim & Park,
2017; Quinn et al., 2020). It could be the case that carers
employing an “enabling” approach to care are also more
likely to support the person with dementia to continue to be
involved in pet care. Both the approach to care and the
involvement in caring for the animal may therefore contrib-
ute to lower loneliness and depression, and better QoL.
There may be a complex interplay between the positive and
negative aspects of pet ownership described above, which
could result in minimal associations in such a large sample as
this cohort study. In addition, there are some limitations to this
study that should be considered. As the IDEAL programme has
a wide scope, to avoid over-burdening participants and due to
practical constraints, only a limited number of questions relat-
ing to pet ownership were included. For example, the physical
activity question was limited to walking, whereas pets may also
reduce other nonsedentary activity. There are also other aspects
of pet ownership that are likely to be important, such as the
amount of time the person with dementia spends interacting
with the pet, which were not investigated as part of this study;
it should be noted that caring for a pet is different from the bond
that a person has with his or her pet, a person with dementia
may have a strong bond with his or her pet but be unable to care
for it. Moreover, we cannot infer the direction of any associa-
tions. It is possible that those who walk more are more likely to
get a pet and specifically a dog, or people may get a pet in
response to their depression or loneliness (e.g., Pikhartova
et al., 2014). Future longitudinal work could help to identify
the direction of the associations and potential explanations for
these. However, the level of pet ownership identified in this
large cohort study of community-dwelling people with demen-
tia suggests that pet owners with dementia are an important
population in their own right. Identifying where the benefits
and difficulties of pet ownership lie could help people with
dementia and their carers to make difficult decisions around
taking on and keeping pets. For example, the ability of the carer
to facilitate interaction between the person with dementia and
the pet may be important to consider.
Despite some limitations, this study represents an impor-
tant first step in providing generalizable evidence as to the
associations between pet ownership and physical activity,
loneliness, depression, and QoL in people with dementia. Pet
ownership, and specifically dog ownership, is associated
with higher levels of walking, with stronger associations
when the person is also involved in the care of the animal.
Opdebeeck et al. 7
Having a dog and being involved in its care is associated
with lower likelihood of being lonely, while having a pet and
not being involved in its care is associated with higher
depression and lower QoL. This may indicate something dis-
tinctive about the characteristics or environments of those
who have a pet but have no involvement in its care. The
IDEAL programme will allow for continued follow-up of the
cohort, making it possible to identify those who may most
benefit from pet ownership, and any longer-term positive
and negative outcomes for pet owners. Focused qualitative
research is also needed to help specify the potential benefits
and difficulties of having a pet for community-dwelling peo-
ple with mild-to-moderate dementia.
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the support of the following
research networks: NIHR Dementias and Neurodegeneration
Specialty (DeNDRoN) in England, the Scottish Dementia Clinical
Research Network (SDCRN) and Health and Care Research
Wales. We are grateful to the IDEAL study participants for their
participation in the study and to members of the ALWAYs group
and the Project Advisory Group for their support throughout the
study. We would also like to thank Fiona Matthews and Laura
Gamble for statistical advice.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support
for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article:
“Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active
Life: living well with dementia. The IDEAL study” was funded
jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and
the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) through grant
ES/L001853/2. Investigators: L. Clare, I.R. Jones, C. Victor, J.V.
Hindle, R.W. Jones, M. Knapp, M. Kopelman, R. Litherland, A.
Martyr, F. Matthews, R.G. Morris, S.M. Nelis, J. Pickett, C. Quinn,
J. Rusted, J. Thom. ESRC is part of UK Research and Innovation
(UKRI). “Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing
Active Life: a longitudinal perspective on living well with demen-
tia. The IDEAL-2 study” is funded by Alzheimer’s Society, grant
number 348, AS-PR2-16-001. Investigators: L. Clare, I.R. Jones, C.
Victor, C. Ballard, A. Hillman, J.V. Hindle, J. Hughes, R.W. Jones,
M. Knapp, R. Litherland, A. Martyr, F. Matthews, R.G. Morris,
S.M. Nelis, C. Quinn, J. Rusted. The views expressed are those of
the author(s) and not necessarily those of the ESRC, UKRI, NIHR,
the Department of Health and Social Care, the National Health
Service, or Alzheimer’s Society. The support of ESRC, NIHR, and
Alzheimer’s Society is gratefully acknowledged.
Data Availability
IDEAL data were deposited with the U.K. data archive in April
2020 and will be available to access from April 2023. Details of
how the data can be accessed after that date can be found here:
http://reshare.ukdataservice.ac.uk/854293/.
Ethical Approval
The IDEAL study was approved by the Wales Research Ethics
Committee 5 (reference 13/WA/0405) and the Ethics Committee
of the School of Psychology, Bangor University (reference
2014-11684).
ORCID iD
Anthony Martyr https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1702-8902
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