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UK's first dementia assistance dogs make debut

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Press Trust of India London
Specially-trained dogs may be able to assist people with dementia and improve their quality of life by reducing social isolation and anxiety levels, experts have shown.

Two specially-trained dogs have become the first assistance dogs in the UK to help people with dementia. Kaspa and Oscar are part of a project to investigate how a dog may bring benefits to people with early-stage dementia.

The project by students at The Glasgow School of Art's (GSA) Product Design department, and developed by a partnership between Alzheimer Scotland, Dogs for the Disabled and Guide Dogs Scotland commenced in 2012.

Both dogs have been highly trained to help offer practical assistance and reduce social isolation and anxiety levels, some of the major problems experienced by couples where one partner has dementia.
 

A further two dogs have already begun their training.

Oscar a golden retriever and Kaspa a Labrador are living with couples Frank and Maureen and Ken and Glenys from Angus, Scotland.

Maureen and Ken were both recently diagnosed with early stage dementia.

Both dogs have been trained to fetch medicines when a reminder alarm goes off. The dogs can take items between the two couples and can also be trained to help wake up a person.

For both couples, having an assistance dog has provided a reason to go out for regular walks to the park together - a way of meeting people and keeping in touch with the world.

The dogs are also proving to be great stress-relievers at home, where the couples say that they feel more motivated. The carer finds that they are spending less time giving reassurance to their partner because the dog gives a calming new focus for the person with dementia.

"Kaspa has given us our lives back," said Glenys.

This sentiment is echoed by Frank, "Maureen and I can't imagine going back to what it was like before we got Oscar."

"Dementia Dog has had a truly wonderful impact on the families involved and Alzheimer Scotland is delighted to have been part of this ground-breaking project," said Joyce Gray, Deputy Director of Development at Alzheimer Scotland.

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First Published: Jul 16 2013 | 6:05 PM IST

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