History and Description
Background and Research
In New York State, an estimated 426,500 residents have Alzheimer´s disease or related dementia. Given the increase in the older population, especially the proportion of the population over 80 years of age, it is anticipated that the number of individuals with Alzheimer´s disease in New York State will increase to 460,000 by 2025. In addition, more than a half a million family caregivers bear the burden of the disease in New York, providing 879 million hours of unpaid care. The prevalence of dementia, as well as the impact on families, is substantial. Therefore, supporting those living with memory loss and their caregivers is critical to enhance the quality of life for all involved.
The Memory Care Corral was developed to help address this important public health challenge by providing an effective approach to supporting individuals with memory loss and their caregivers. The program was developed out of the knowledge gained from the research and experience of other therapeutic equine programs addressing this problem around the country.
The Connected Horse Program, an evidence-based program in California, has shown that equine guided workshops improve the quality of life (e.g., improved sleep, reduced feelings of burden and depression) for both the individual with dementia and their caregiver. Silver Saddles was an innovative riding and horsemanship program, based in Williamsburg, Virginia, for residents of assisted living communities confronting memory loss. This program was inspired in part by a study at Ohio State University (OSU) that found spending time with horses worked to ease symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
Memory Care Corral is the next phase in this line of equine assisted programming made available to dyads (family caregivers and persons living with dementia). This innovative program has been developed by a partnership of community agencies with expertise in dementia and aging services, as well as therapeutic horsemanship professionals. The funding for the program is being contributed by the Athelda Fund, a family fund dedicated to enabling individuals living with dementia to remain at home and engaged in their community for as long as possible.
Program Design
The Memory Care Corral program is designed to offer weekly equine assisted activities for caregivers and their loved ones living with dementia and related conditions. Each activity session lasts 60 to 90 minutes. Activities focus on providing both members of the dyad an opportunity to connect with the horses in a ground-based format. Activities may include grooming, leading, artwork with the horses, education about the different types of horses, and gentle chair-based exercises.
The goal of the equine sessions is to facilitate a therapeutic environment addressing important goals for the family caregiver such as promoting self-compassion and self-care, building a support network, and finding balance between care, personal and professional commitments. The sessions also nurture a supportive social group for caregivers to encourage each other, support one another, and share strategies and resources. Further, the sessions engage the person living with dementia by creating a welcoming, safe and engaging environment with opportunities to participate in activities with and without their caregiver.
Best practices in both elder care and in dementia care recommend identifying and applying non-pharmacological interventions to use in addressing behavioral and psychological symptoms. There are various psychosocial strategies that may help reduce the potential negative impacts of anxiety, isolation, embarrassment, depression and dementia. The Memory Care Corral is one such program and, combined with preliminary findings of the positive impact of the human-horse connection, may further the evidence that supports the psychosocial intervention of equine assisted activities.
The Memory Care Corral program is being offered at Sunshine Horses in Clay, NY. Sunshine Horses, Inc. is a non-profit, independent adoption agency and rescue facility for horses in need.