Pet Assisted Therapy (PAT) offers a wide variety of benefits to the elderly. The most obvious benefit is the joy expressed in interacting with a pet therapy dog or other animal. Most of the residents we visit have had pets of their own and are often reminded of the love and affection they felt for their own animals. Anyone who has owned a pet knows the unconditional love they bring to everyone they touch. Some facilities that have incorporated pets into the environment have found that the need for various medications like anti-depressants has decreased dramatically.

PAT offers more than just emotional upliftment. Residents are also naturally motivated to move and stretch as they reach for and pet the animal. Our therapy animals have initiated movement out of some individuals that conventional therapies were unable to accomplish.

PAT also offers a welcome break to most nursing home routines. With every visit we receive gratitude from the residents for brightening their day and giving them love as well as the opportunity to love. We have become good friends with many residents who continuously look forward to our next visit. This tells us that our therapy goes beyond the actually visiting time.