Pet visits bring 'a small moment of home' to long-term care, study finds

by Gillian Rutherford, University of Alberta

edited by Lisa Lock, reviewed by Andrew Zinin

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Residents in an Edmonton long-term care home are getting regular visits from therapy dogs this summer, thanks to a pilot project designed by University of Alberta nursing researcher Brittany DeGraves. The project builds on DeGraves' recently published research in BMC Geriatrics on the feasibility of using animal-assisted programs to benefit both residents and staff.

"Bringing even a small moment of home for the individuals in care homes is addressing not only mental health but also social isolation," DeGraves says. "No matter what age or what conditions we have, we all deserve to live a life with joy. And I think that's something that is often missing in long-term care."

DeGraves cites research that shows 69% of residents in Canadian long-term care homes have dementia and 87% have some form of cognitive impairment. For her feasibility study, she interviewed 14 long-term care staff members, two long-term care residents and two community members, one an animal therapy volunteer and one a person living with dementia.

They agreed that bringing pets into long-term care settings can improve social isolation, mental health and the well-being of the older adults living there.

"More rigorous research into this potentially important non-pharmacological intervention is urgently needed," concludes DeGraves, who is a Ph.D. candidate under the supervision of Dr. Carole Estabrooks, principal investigator for the Translating Research in Elder Care Team.

This summer's pilot project will take a rigorous clinical trial approach, starting in one care home and continuing in another in the fall. Volunteers and their dogs from the St. John's Ambulance Therapy Dog Program will visit some residents on a regular basis over six weeks. They will be compared with a group that receives human-only visitation and a usual care group.

"I'll be looking at the trends in resident outcomes, including perceived benefits and measures such as residents' quality of life from pre- to post-intervention," she says. "Then hopefully building this into a much larger project with standardized guidance for how these programs should be delivered."

DeGraves, a lifelong "dog person," first became interested in pet therapy when her grandfather had a stroke. He could no longer recognize his spouse, children or grandchildren. But he lit up when a therapy dog visited his hospital room.

"This was something that reminded him of himself and let us see the man he used to be," she remembers. "It was a reminder that he was still that person and he deserved to have that little source of happiness, however short it may have been."

DeGraves saw the impact of pets again when she did a placement in long-term care as a student nurse.

"There were some residents who didn't really open up to the staff or students, but when the animals came around, their faces just lit up and they finally talked," she says. "It was so interesting to see that something so small could mean so much."

She did a term at Maastricht University in the Netherlands, studying Green Care Farms, innovative dementia care facilities where residents participate in daily activities such as cooking, cleaning and animal care as much as they can.

"They had sheep, cows, rabbits and dogs, and it was just an eye-opening experience to see not only how happy the residents were, but how independent they felt," DeGraves says.

DeGraves' research identifies some barriers to pet therapy programs in long-term care, including some residents' fear of animals, allergies and concern about potential injury or infection.

In order to overcome these barriers, she suggests good communication with residents, their families and staff in advance of visits, making sure the visits are regularly scheduled and carried out on a one-to-one basis, and ensuring that pets and volunteers are well screened.

DeGraves' ultimate goal is to see pet therapy as part of standard care for residents of long-term care homes in Canada.

"Let's recognize that these individuals had a life before this, so what can we bring that reminds them of their life, that brings them into the present, and that gives them consistent moments of joy?" she asks.

"This is where these older adults are going to live, most of them for the rest of their days. So let's make those days enjoyable."

More information

Brittany S. DeGraves et al, Animal-assisted support programs for residents in Canadian long-term care homes: a feasibility and acceptability study, BMC Geriatrics (2026). DOI: 10.1186/s12877-026-07033-5

Key medical concepts

Animal Assisted TherapyDementiaMental HealthCognitive Dysfunction

Clinical categories

Geriatric palliative carePsychology & Mental healthHealthy aging Provided by University of Alberta Who's behind this story?

Lisa Lock

BA art history, MA material culture. Former museum editor, paramedic, and transplant coordinator. Editing for Science X since 2021. Full profile →

Andrew Zinin

Master's in physics with research experience. Long-time science news enthusiast. Plays key role in Science X's editorial success. Full profile →

Citation: Pet visits bring 'a small moment of home' to long-term care, study finds (2026, June 22) retrieved 22 June 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pet-small-moment-home-term.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.