Cognitive Dysfunction ( MMSE < 24 )

The goal of this randomized study is to find out if animal-assisted therapy (AAT) - a structured program where trained animals take part in care sessions guided by health professionals - can help improve movement abilities in older adults with dementia or memory-related conditions who are staying in a medical rehabilitation unit. The main questions this study aims to answer are: * Can adding animal-assisted therapy to standard rehabilitation improve participants' movement and motor abilities better than standard rehabilitation alone? * Can this combined approach help participants stay more independent in daily activities? * Can this combined approach improve participants' quality of life? * Can this combined approach reduce the risk of falls? Researchers will compare two groups: * Group 1 (experimental): Standard rehabilitation + animal-assisted therapy sessions with a trained dog and/or rabbits * Group 2 (control): Standard rehabilitation alone Both groups attend 2 one-hour rehabilitation sessions per week for 4 weeks. Participants will: * Complete movement and daily-life ability tests at the start and end of the study * Attend 8 rehabilitation sessions (over 4 weeks) * Participants in the animal therapy group will interact with a trained dog and/or rabbits during sessions, guided by a certified nurse-animal therapist, a psychomotor therapist, and a nursing assistant * Be assessed at the end of the 4-week program (Week 6) to measure any changes in motor abilities, independence, quality of life, and fall risk

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and underlying recovery mechanisms of a virtual reality-based training program for the treatment of neglect syndrome in stroke patients in the chronic phase (more than three months after onset). Neglect is a neurological condition characterized by a failure to attend to stimuli presented on the side contralateral to a brain lesion, despite preserved visual acuity and visual fields. Patients with neglect commonly exhibit impairments in activities of daily living, including dressing, eating, grooming, reading, and writing, and are prone to collisions with objects on the neglected side. This syndrome is widely acknowledged as a significant negative prognostic indicator for functional recovery following stroke. Previous treatments for neglect syndrome have shown promising results. Pizzamiglio et al. reported the effectiveness of visuo-spatial scanning training, while Julkunen et al. confirmed improvement using computer-based therapy. Frascineti et al. demonstrated benefits from prism adaptation therapy, and Robertson et al. found that activating the left limbs helped reduce neglect symptoms. Additionally, Brighina et al. reported that repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation applied to the unaffected cerebral hemisphere effectively alleviated neglect. Recently, computer-based diagnostic tools have been developed to more accurately quantify and objectify neglect. Among them, Kim et al. developed a 3D VR program that can be applied regardless of the severity of motor impairment on the affected side. Virtual reality provides simulated, immersive environments that allow users to interact as if in real-world settings, enabling objective and quantitative assessment of neglect symptoms. In particular, visual fixation training within VR encourages spontaneous visual exploration and focused attention toward the affected side, which has been shown to be an effective strategy in reducing neglect in stroke patients. Virtual reality-based training has been increasingly applied clinically abroad. For example, the University of California's Institute for Creative Technologies uses VR for treating PTSD in Iraq war veterans, and the VRMC in the U.S. applies it for phobia and stress treatments. In Switzerland, programs like Mind Motion Pro are used for neuroregeneration-focused rehabilitation, and Japan has developed mediVR for trunk balance training. Although research on neglect using VR is active, it generally requires active therapist involvement. Few studies have clearly demonstrated the efficacy of VR treatment specifically in stroke patients, and VR applications in rehabilitation medicine remain relatively limited compared to psychiatric fields. In light of this background, our research team developed a virtual reality-based training program (NEGTREA) for the treatment of neglect syndrome in stroke. To evaluate its clinical feasibility, we conducted a targeted focus group interview with four out of five stroke patients with neglect who used the program. The study found that the VR-based neglect treatment was well tolerated without adverse effects and achieved high patient satisfaction, alongside improved assessment scores before and after program participation.