Animal magic or a bone of contention? An exploration of dog ownership and adaptation in people with post-stroke aphasia

ABSTRACT

Background

There is extensive literature on the impact of aphasia on human interactions, with findings including family tension and reduced participation affecting the person with aphasia’s ability to adapt to life post-stroke. However, research on relationships between people with aphasia and their pets is sparse. Studies in other healthcare fields have found benefits and drawbacks of pet ownership. The presence of a communication disorder adds a unique perspective, with implications for the ability to interact with the animal.

Aim

This study explores the experiences that people with aphasia have of dog ownership as they adapt to life post-stroke, from the perspectives of both people with aphasia and close family members or carers.

Methods & procedures

Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 people with aphasia and/or relatives or carers. Thematic analysis was carried out.

Outcomes & results

Three major themes were generated. These were: (i) the adaptation of the dog to the person with aphasia; (ii) the adaptation of the person with aphasia to their dog; (iii) experiences of dog-walking interactions. Positive and negative aspects were reported within each theme.

Conclusions

The implications of these findings are significant for rehabilitation professionals: just as the person with aphasia needs support in the context of their human relationships and the challenges and opportunities that these present, their relationship with their dog should also be considered.

KEYWORDS:

• Stroke
• aphasia
• pets
• social interaction
• social participation

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the participants, and the Speech and Language Therapists across NHS Grampian who helped recruit them. We would also like to thank Thérèse Lebedis and Lyndsay Alexander for commenting on an earlier draft of this manuscript. Finally we would like to thank NHS Grampian Research and Development Department for supporting this project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.