Article Discusses the Benefits of Pet Therapy for Sick People
Emotional well-being and physical well-being are closely linked. This fact seems self-evident. It makes sense that sick people recover faster if they are happy, comfortable, and free of pain. However, anyone who has spent time in a hospital will probably agree that patients’ emotional well-being often takes a back seat to raw science.
Some members of the nursing profession are working to make hospitals more pleasant for patients. An article in the May, 2008 issue of American Nurse Today points out one way to enhance patients’ emotional well-being: pet therapy. (Hat tip to Denie for passing along the article, which is written for nurses.)
By providing the benefits of human-animal interactions, pet therapy can promote a patient’s health and recovery. And you can use this creative intervention for patients in almost any setting–even patients who don’t have pets.
The article makes several points. First, the authors state that people who are hospitalized often worry about pets who are at home without anyone to care for them. The authors suggest that nurses help to confirm that the pets are being responsibly cared for. This leads to decreased stress and improved clinical condition in hospitalized humans.
The authors also recommend that, if possible, sick people should be allowed to visit with their pets. And they point out that people who don’t have pets often benefit from time spent with specially trained and certified therapy animals.
Finally, regular readers of this blog know that I love to talk about the health benefits that humans derive from their pets. (For instance, see here, here and here.) Therefore, I found the following boxed text in the article to be completely irresistible.
How pets improve our health. The benefits of pet companionship and interactions include:
less stress lower blood pressure lower cholesterol levels less cardiovascular disease reduced sense of loneliness increased socialization and reminiscences increased sense of responsibility and alertness increased physical activity improved overall health, leading to fewer doctor appointments increased fun!
The article discussed in this post was written by Charlotte McKenny, BSN, RN and Rebecca Johnson, PhD, RN, FAAN.
You have questions. 
Thanks for the article! We are training with a pet therapy organization called Delta Society. Any species of animal can be a therapy animal. :)
We have added a link to this wonderful article on the benefits of pet therapy to http://www.petsincondos.org/benefits.htm.
Citizens FOR Pets in Condos is a 501-c3 tax exempt private operating foundation dedicated to increasing acceptance of companion animals in condos and other types of association-run housing. We educate the public about the health benefits of having animal companions and also advocate for responsible pet ownership/guardianship. Our motto: “creating a win-win situation for both people & pets.”
Wow! Dogs have many uses! Even my dog could make me happy when i am depressed, dogs are really helpful especially to people who work overtime and senior citizens who do not have any companions to be with.
Yet MORE research that supports Pet Therapy:
Cole et al., 2007. American Journal of Critical Care. 16(6): 575. Animal Assisted therapy in patients hospitalized with heart failure.
Background Animal-assisted therapy improves physiological
and psychosocial variables in healthy and hypertensive patients.
Objectives To determine whether a 12-minute hospital visit
with a therapy dog improves hemodynamic measures, lowers
neurohormone levels, and decreases state anxiety in patients
with advanced heart failure.
Methods A 3-group randomized repeated-measures experimental
design was used in 76 adults. Longitudinal analysis
was used to model differences among the 3 groups at 3 times.
One group received a 12-minute visit from a volunteer with a
therapy dog; another group, a 12-minute visit from a volunteer;
and the control group, usual care. Data were collected
at baseline, at 8 minutes, and at 16 minutes.
Results Compared with controls, the volunteer-dog group had
significantly greater decreases in systolic pulmonary artery
pressure during (-4.32 mm Hg, P = .03) and after (-5.78 mm Hg,
P = .001) and in pulmonary capillary wedge pressure during
(-2.74 mm Hg, P = .01) and after (-4.31 mm Hg, P = .001) the
intervention. Compared with the volunteer-only group, the
volunteer-dog group had significantly greater decreases in
epinephrine levels during (-15.86 pg/mL, P = .04) and after
(-17.54 pg/mL, P = .04) and in norepinephrine levels during
(-232.36 pg/mL, P = .02) and after (-240.14 pg/mL, P = .02) the
intervention. After the intervention, the volunteer-dog group
had the greatest decrease from baseline in state anxiety sum
score compared with the volunteer-only (-6.65 units, P =.002)
and the control groups (-9.13 units, P < .001).
Conclusions Animal-assisted therapy improves cardiopulmonary
pressures, neurohormone levels, and anxiety in
patients hospitalized with heart failure.
I was going to register Willow as a PAT cat, I filled in all the forms, got her vet checked for health and behaviour.. then figured she was too shy and would not settle on people. I think I will try again when she is older and a bit chilled out. I think she would make a great therapy cat as she is very pretty and makes the old folks next door smile (they let her into their house!), and everyone who sees her loves her, plus she has a very soft coat. If only she could chill out she’d be perfect, but she is still only young.