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Dog-assisted Therapy in Geriatrics
Kyla Andre
Alvernia University

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Abstract
Dog-assisted therapy has immense benefits for the elderly population. Methods of the therapy
sessions include: having the elderly patient walk, feed, pet, play, and communicate with the
therapy dog for at least thirty minutes. The objective of the therapy sessions was to improve the
senior’s social interaction, mood, memory, cognition, behavior, and physical health. Researchers
found that with the consistent pet therapy sessions, the elderly patient’s entire quality of life was
increased. Dog-assisted therapy in geriatrics improves the well being of patients living in
residential facilities.
Key words: dog-assisted therapy, elderly, geriatrics, social behavior, and residential
facilities.

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DOG- ASSISTED THERAPY IN GERIATRICS
In the 1960s, psychiatrist Boris Levinson proposed the use of dogs as co-therapists to
mediate social and emotional interaction with patients.
Animal- assisted therapy, in this case canine-assisted, is a goal-directed
intervention directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with
specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession.
Animal-assisted therapy is designed to promote improvement in human physical,
social, emotional, and/or cognitive functioning (Cipriani, J., Cooper, M.,
DiGiovanni, N. M., Litchkofski, A., Nichols, A., & Ramsey, A., 2013, p.215).
There is a difference between animal- assisted therapy and animal-assisted activities. The
activities include the pet visiting the person in a meet and greet activity. The patient does not get
to interact much with the pet.
Our bodies decline with age. Therefore it is difficult to keep our mind and bodies
functioning properly. When the elderly are living in a residential facility they feel depressed,
stressed, lonely, socially awkward, and apathy. The elderly’s physical and emotional health
decline as well. This is why it is crucial for therapists to conduct interventions that include
canine interaction. Therapists are developing programs to improve social responsiveness and
physical activity with dogs. It is essential for the elderly to have a healthy lifestyle, especially
since the life expectancy has increased. Dog-assisted therapy improves the elderly’s lifestyle
through emotional and physical interaction.
Dog-assisted therapy aids elderly patients multiple ways in geriatrics. A group of
occupational therapists conducted research, in a residential facility, to see if dog-assisted therapy
sessions improved the elderly patients’ quality of life. They sampled some seniors who got the

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therapy and who did not receive the therapy. The therapists had owners of therapy dogs bring in
the canine and help with the session. Activities during the intervention included brushing,
petting, holding, feeding, playing, and walking the dog. After four weeks, the occupational
therapists found that the dog-assisted therapy did in fact positively influence the patients’ quality
of life. After the therapy the elderly patients improved on emotional regulation, activities of daily
living, (brushing teeth) social interaction, cognitive skills, and motor skills.
Researchers conducted a study that lasted a month. They evaluated the behavioral,
psychological, and physiological effects the dog had on the senior patients. The seniors would
interact with the dog by playing, feeding, talking, and grooming which are social interactions. In
order to test the behavioral effect, researchers videotaped each session. They observed that
patients had increased the interaction time and smiled more during each session. Researchers
physiologically tested the cortisol levels of the elderly before and after the therapy. Cortisol
levels are the amount of cortisol in the blood. Cortisol is a hormone that controls stress and helps
burn fat for energy. After the therapy, the senior’s cortisol levels increased just enough to
activate their mood from a depressive mood. Researchers screened the patients before and after
the therapy for depression. Patients showed less depressive emotions.
Another way dog-assisted therapy can benefit the elderly is by improving memory. “In
2010, over five million seniors had Alzheimer’s disease or a type of dementia. Meaning, one in
eight people over the age of sixty-five have Alzheimer’s disease” (Marcus, D. A., 2011, p.264).
Memory difficulty can cause the elderly to feel agitated, distressed, and be less social. This study
included visits from a therapy dog every week for three months. The dog-assisted therapy helped
patients reconnect with their past and present. Their behavior problems decreased thirty-five
percent. The therapy sessions reduced feeling of agitation and stress. The elderly patient’s

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memory improved eight percent. Each patient communicated and interacted more with others
than before. Even after the dog-assisted therapy stopped, seniors were still showing
improvement. The following is an example of how a therapy dog (Naomi) connected with an
elderly patient, diagnosed with dementia, who would not speak to anyone and sit in her room all
alone disengaged from the world.
“When Naomi came, I put her right in front of Mary’s chair as Mary made her
daily journey up and down the hall. I was a bit concerned because Mary would
often not stop once she’d started her day’s travels, even when someone was in her
path. When Mary got to Naomi, Mary stopped. Still hunched over in the
wheelchair, Mary silently reached out a hand and began petting Naomi. After five
minutes, Mary sat up straight in her wheelchair and looked directly into my eyes
and clearly announced, “You have the most beautiful dog!” Naomi is a gorgeous
Wheaten Terrier, so I wasn’t quite sure why the nurses looked so startled until
they told me that this was the first time Mary had uttered a word in over three
years. “(Marcus, D. A., 2011, p. 268-269).
Evidently, therapy dogs can reach a person even when no one else can.
Elderly patients with dementia experience stress, wandering, agitation, frustration,
and aggression. Researchers observed patients with different severities of dementia. The
elderly got to pet, give treats, and talk to the dog. After the dog-assisted therapy, patients’
depressive moods decreased, along with their aggression and agitation. The researchers
suggested “dog-assisted therapy addressed some unmet behavioral and psychological
needs of patients by providing meaningful activities, social interaction, and comfort

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through physical activity” (Travers, C., Perkins, J., Rand, J., Bartlett, H., & Morton, J.,
2013, p.214).
Elderly who exercise or increase their muscle strength have a slower rate of
intellectual decline over time. “Seniors with increased muscle strength have a forty-three
percent decreased risk of later developing Alzheimer’s disease” (Marcus, D. A., 2011, p.
276). Once Alzheimer’s disease is diagnosed, exercise does not have an effect on
memory. A way for the elderly to exercise and improved their overall health is walking
therapy dogs.
Even though dog-assisted therapy provides many essential benefits in geriatrics,
more research needs to be conducted. There should be more data involving depression
and heart rate. Research should evaluate the full potential benefits of dog therapy. The
unfortunate aspect of using dog-assisted therapy is people with allergies are exempt from
receiving the therapy. Patients who do not like or fear dogs will not want dog-assisted
therapy.
In conclusion, there is evidence that dog-assisted therapy improves the elderly’s
quality of life. Each therapy observation had the same results consisting of feeling less
depressed, more interaction, improving social and cognitive skills, decreased behavior
problems, relieved stress, improved physical health, and increased memory. The therapy
is useful because it gives the elderly something to do and to look forward to. The therapy
keeps the patients involved and not withdrawn. The elderly get a sense of responsibility
for making the dog happy at each intervention. The therapy increases their self-esteem
and provides enjoyment. Significantly, the therapy dog can reach a patient even when the

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medical staff cannot. Therefore, dog-assisted therapy should be provided in every
residential facility.

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References
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www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/
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Marcus, D. A. (2011). Thanks for the memories: Helping seniors connect with their past
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Travers, C., Perkins, J., Rand, J., Bartlett, H., & Morton, J. (2013). An evaluation of dog-
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