Pet therapy and institutionalized elderly: A study on 144 cognitively unimpaired subjects

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess whether a pet therapy program had a favorable effect on psychopathological status and perception of quality of life in cognitively unimpaired institutionalized elderly. Seven elderly rest homes in Veneto Region of Northern Italy participated in the project, which was conducted on 144 cognitively intact elderly residents (97 females and 47 males). The participants were randomly divided into three groups: 48 subjects were given a canary, 43 subjects were given a plant, and 53 subjects were given nothing. The observation period (t0–t1) lasted for 3 months. At time t0 and t1 participants were administered the mini mental state examination (MMSE) to assess their cognitive status, the LEIPAD II-Short Version (LEIPAD-SV), to gauge subjective perception of quality of life in the elderly, and the brief symptom inventory (BSI), for self-evaluation of the presence of psychopathological symptoms. At the end of the 3-month trial, tests were re-administered, without removing the experimental condition. Even if the group that received a plant seemed to benefit from the experience, they did not achieve the same positive results on BSI and quality of life subscales exhibited by the group that received a pet. This study reinforces the hypothesis that pet therapy may have a beneficial effect on the psychological well being of institutionalized elderly, in particular on aspects related to depressive symptoms and perception of quality of life.

Introduction

Pet therapy had its origins in the United States in the early sixties and is based on the hypothesis that the relationship between different species may have a therapeutic effect. After the early writings of child psychotherapist Levinson (1962), who shed light on the positive effects of a dog on an autistic child, the validity of pet therapy has been supported by various studies (Lundgren, 2004) conducted in different settings, with depressed subjects (Redefer and Goodman, 1989, Jessen et al., 1996), autistic children (Nathanson, 1989, Redefer and Goodman, 1989, Melezzi et al., 2000), psychiatric patients (Corson et al., 1975, McCandless et al., 1985, Beck et al., 1986, Bardill and Hutchinson, 1997, Barker and Davson, 1998, Hall and Malpus, 2000, Lann, 2003) and subjects with somatic disorders, as cardiovascular pathologies (Friedmann et al., 1980, Odendaal, 2000) and communication disorders (Lundgren, 2004). Only a few studies have been conducted on the elderly, and an even smaller number have been replicated. Generally, the emerging opinion is rather supportive of the use of animals for companionship and for the promotion of physical, social and emotional health of the elderly (Gundby, 1979, Wilson and Netting, 1983, Gagnon, 1988, Fick, 1993, Howell-Newman and Goldman, 1993, Jorgenson, 1997).

Populations of cognitively intact and impaired elderly have also been studied in relation to pet therapy schemes (Mugford and McChomisky, 1975, Brickel, 1979, Jessee, 1982, Salomon et al., 1982, Kongable et al., 1989, Manor, 1991, Savishinsky, 1992, Fritz et al., 1995, Forbes, 1998, Raina et al., 1999, Lann, 2003). The elderly population is undoubtedly sensitive to change and loss. This delicate stage of life makes older adults highly vulnerable to pathological relapses and deterioration in somatic, psychic and quality of life. Separations from the family – as in the case of rest-home residents – and marginalization and isolation that often stem from institutionalization, thus became important risk factors. Some studies conducted on cognitively intact elderly residing in an institutional setting have reported positive outcomes with pet therapy, leading to reduced feelings of solitude and isolation (Fick, 1993, Jessen et al., 1996) and improvements in social relationships (Savishinsky, 1992, Fick, 1993).

Some authors (Rynearson, 1978, Draper et al., 1990, Davis, 1991, Zisselman et al., 1996), instead, caution against emphasizing the positive results of certain studies due to conflicting evidence arising from them. In fact, in some cases the beneficial effects from pet therapy were identifiable solely in those individuals strongly motivated in the presence of an animal. In addition, most studies were not appropriately controlled. Programs have proven ineffective or produced negative results when the proponents assumed that any pet would be good for elderly persons either living alone or in a residential center. A much needed aspect of any pet program is the analysis and reporting of social data, in order to provide a better information base for planning the use of pets for therapeutic purposes (Ryder, 1985).

The aim of this study was to assess whether a pet therapy program had a favorable effect on psychopathological status and perception of quality of life in cognitively intact, institutionalized elderly.

Section snippets

Subjects and methods

Seven elderly nursing homes in the Veneto Region of Northern Italy were invited to take part in the project, which was conducted between 1999 and 2000. The elderly subjects, residing in the cited nursing homes, were recruited with the collaboration of general practitioners or nurses operating within the same facilities. One or more days during the week were selected randomly for interviews and data collection, which were performed by two psychologists. The questionnaires were filled out in a

Results

Table 2 shows the test results at t0 for the three groups considered. Overall, baseline conditions presented no statistically significant differences, except for the BSI-Interpersonal Sensitivity score (tending toward significance: p = 0.059), which was significantly higher in the group with the plant than in the other two groups, and the Self-Care and Social Functioning scores, indicating better self-perception in the animal group than in the other two.

Table 3 shows the test results in the three

Discussion

These findings seem to be in line with currently available literature (Mugford and McChomisky, 1975, Salomon et al., 1982, Savishinsky, 1992, Fried et al., 1996, Jessen et al., 1996) and confirm the beneficial effects of having an animal for companionship, to look after and relate with (Lundgren, 2004).

Despite the small number of males in the sample who agreed to have a plant (eight subjects) – although this number was sufficient to carry out statistical analysis for outcome evaluation purposes

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for the help and collaboration from the veterinaries Dr. Maurizio Pasinato and Dr. Luciano Grotto. We also thank Dr. Luciano Gallo, nursing home coordinator, Mr. Luciano Simioni, Head of the Italian Ornithological Confederation, Dr. Livio Frattin, Head of Social Services, Dr. Luciano Milani, Head of the Local Health and Social Services Unit, and Counsellor Gabriella Folliero.

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