title: Pet therapy in elderly patients with mental illness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate the effects of pet therapy on cognitive function, mood and perceived quality of life on elderly inpatients (mean age 84.7 years; 95.2% women) affected by dementia, depression and psychosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and 15-items Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were administered to 10 patients (pet group) and 11 controls (control group) together with a self-perceived quality-of-life questionnaire, before and after a pet therapy intervention that lasted 6 weeks. MMSE and GDS mean scores were compared between and within groups by Student's t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both the pet group and control group improved on GDS and MMSE. Within the pet group, GDS symptoms decreased by 50% (from 5.9 to 2.7, P= 0.013), whereas mean MMSE score increased by 4.5 (P= 0.060). The between group comparison showed a positive effect of pet therapy intervention on GDS (P= 0.070). Most of the participants reported an improvement of their perceived quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Pet therapy is efficient in improving depressive symptoms and cognitive function in residents of long-term care facilities with mental illness.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychiatry, University of Bologna, Local Health Authority of Imola, Bologna, Italy. fra-moretti@libero.it
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: De Ronchi
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bernabei
authors.forename: Lucia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Marchetti
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ferrari
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Forlani
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negretti
authors.forename: Cleta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sacchetti
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Atti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D056447:Animal Assisted Therapy; D000818:Animals; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011618:Psychotic Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires