Pet therapy in elderly patients with mental illness.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychiatry
• Animal-assisted therapy

Background:

• Elderly inpatients with dementia, depression, and psychosis often experience declines in cognitive function, mood, and quality of life.
• Investigating interventions to improve well-being in this vulnerable population is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of pet therapy on cognitive function, mood, and perceived quality of life in elderly inpatients.
• To evaluate the efficacy of a 6-week pet therapy program in a long-term care setting.

Main Methods:

• A 6-week pet therapy intervention was conducted with elderly inpatients (mean age 84.7 years, 95.2% women).
• Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and mood was evaluated with the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).
• A self-perceived quality-of-life questionnaire was administered, with scores compared between a pet group (10 patients) and a control group (11 patients) using Student's t-test.

Main Results:

• Within the pet group, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores decreased by 50% (P=0.013), and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores showed a trend of increase (P=0.060).
• A positive effect of pet therapy on GDS scores was observed when comparing the pet group to the control group (P=0.070).
• A majority of participants reported improvements in their perceived quality of life.

Conclusions:

• Pet therapy demonstrates efficiency in ameliorating depressive symptoms and enhancing cognitive function among elderly residents in long-term care facilities.
• The findings suggest pet therapy is a beneficial intervention for individuals with mental illness residing in long-term care settings.
• Further research may explore long-term effects and optimal implementation strategies for pet therapy in geriatric mental healthcare.