“As noted in The Role of Companion Animals in Treatment of Medical Disorders, a book co-written by Dr. Gee, there is an increasing amount of evidence that indicates pets may be beneficial to people experiencing PTSD, depression, or anxiety. Other research shows that having a dog tends to up your activity level, alleviate isolation, and provide a sense of purpose.”

“Companion animals can help alleviate loneliness,” says Nancy R. Gee, Ph.D., director of the Center for Human-Animal Interaction at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. “And older adults are particularly vulnerable to the negative impact of loneliness.”

We examined the moderating role of pet attachment in the relationships of psychological status (mental wellbeing, happiness, anxiety, depression) to physical function (physical wellbeing, usual- and rapid-gait speeds, physical performance battery) in community-residing older adult pet owners. ... A cross-sectional, secondary analysis of pet-owning older adult participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (n = 178).

This study evaluated the feasibility of recruiting hospitalized older adults into a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing an animal-assisted intervention (AAI) involving visits from therapy dogs with an active control (conversation with a volunteer) and treatment as usual (TU) for addressing health and mental health outcomes... This study explored the difficulties inherent in recruiting medically ill, hospitalized older adults for an RCT of hospital-based therapy dog visits.

There is some evidence that animals in therapy programs have a calming effect on people, but "the reality is we need more research," says Nancy Gee, Director of the Center for Human Animal Interaction at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine. While therapy animals can include a range of species such as fish and horses, the majority of existing research is with dogs.