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Lauren Rodgers
Professor C. Douglass
UWRT 1101
5 November 2015
Pet-Assisted Therapy and Its Impact on the Elderly
Pet-assisted therapy is a popular technique in relieving and improving physical,
mental, and emotional disorders, especially in older individuals. Cats, dogs, birds, and
fish are all common animals used in studies, but the majority of studies include cats and
dogs, animals in which one is able to hold and pet. In both articles, one by Paul
Cherniack and the other by Francesca Moretti, the authors attempt to break down
multiple studies that have been performed in order to see if there is a definite correlation,
either positive or negative, between pet-assisted therapy and relief from dementia,
Alzheimers, physical ailments, depression, and other age related illnesses in older
generations.
Both articles also seems to appeal to students conducting research or towards the
general public who want to gain more knowledge on pet-assisted therapy and its effects
on older generations. Cherniak states, Despite the poor methodological quality of pet
research after decades of study, pet ownership, and animal assisted therapy are likely to
continue due to positive subjective feelings many people have towards animals
(Cherniak 6). Basically, he is saying that data from all studies does not show a major
improvement or relapse from pet-assisted therapy, but people like it because animals
make the patients feel better. On the other hand, Moretti claims, pet therapy is efficient
in improving depressive symptoms and cognitive functions in residents of long-term care

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facilities with mental illness (Moretti 128). In this article, pet-therapy is looked at in a
more positive light in terms that it seems more effective and not all of the examples
contradict each other, as in Cherniaks article.
In article one, entitled Pet therapy in elderly patients with mental illness by
Moretti, the information and statistics about the affects of pet-assisted therapy seemed
relevant and less contradictory; one example being Our findings showed that pet therapy
improved depressive symptoms in residents in a long-term care facility by 50% (Moretti
127).

Moretti also came across her point quicker by including fewer, but equally

important, studies as compared to Cherniack. In the first sentence Moretti uses a rhetoric
device when she says The beneficial effect of animal company on persons at any age is
well known, which is a bandwagon approach (125).
Morettis essay is broken up into sections with headers, which provides clear
transitions for different forms of information without the use of many transition
sentences. The sections are also relevant and perfect for quick and convenient reading.
This article reads like a lab report, broken up into sections with short but precise
information pertaining to the heading. The strengths of this article were that there were
not too many contradictions in the text and the number of studies included was kept to the
one that Moretti specifically performs. Another strength about this article was the use of
rhetoric devices, as with the example stated earlier, and simpler language in order for the
most of the general public to understand. By comparing both authors one can see their
differences; for example: Our data support the evidence in favor of efficacy of pet
therapy on elderly patients affected by cognitive disorder (Moretti 128), as compared to

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these investigations imply ameliorating effect of pet ownership on the physiologic
effects of stress (Cherniack 4).
The weaknesses of Morettis article included only one study that had an uneven
distribution of women and men participants. While effective, the author even uses a
bandwagon approach in the first sentence of the paper, which is a fallacy. In the
conclusion of article one, Moretti states benefits of pet-assisted therapy as improvements
in quality of life, depression, and chronic age related disabilities. Although, Moretti does
state that there is little evidence that shows consistent significant improvement and that
there are limitations to studies, she makes a strong argument that pet assisted therapy
does have positive effects on the elderly.
Cherniacks article was the second of the two and the one that did not portray the
information as well as Morettis article. The article is split into potential benefits,
potential harms, and conclusions. There is too much information in each individual
section, which makes it harder for the reader to follow. The language for this article
seemed to be more scholarly and none of the many medical terms were explained, which
can make it harder for those who do not know medical terminology. There was also a
graph for every almost every page showing countless studies and their results. Everyday
readers would be less interested in reading this article for information than students or
scientists would. In content there are a lot of statistics pertaining to specific studies. The
number of studies and statistics in this article was definitely a weakness because in every
paragraph there was a contrast of two studies. This makes readers feel confused and as if
each study is contradicted by the next. Another factor about this article is that the word
might is used frequently, leading one to question the validity of these statements. The

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strengths in this article are the tables, which give visual representation of each study
mentioned. It makes data easier to read because it is more organized than the paragraphs.
Cherniack strength in his article is that he brings in another view about pet-assisted
therapy when he says that some people see it as a distraction to inhibit disruptive
behavior or a surrogate to human interactions (Cherniak 3).
In conclusion the most effective article and author is Pet therapy in elderly
patients with mental illness, by Francesca Moretti. It is the most effective out of the two
because Moretti keeps her information limited, relevant and concise in their particular
sections, creating a better flow. This creates a better connection to her audience because
more people are willing to read shorter articles with vocabulary that is in the vernacular
while being professional. While both articles say that pet-assisted therapy does not
involve huge developments in elderly patients, it does have great social and emotional
effects.

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Works Cited
Cherniack, E. Paul, and Ariella R. Cherniack. "The Benefit Of Pets And Animal-Assisted
Therapy To The Health Of Older Individuals." Current Gerontology & Geratrics
Research (2014): 1-9. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.
MORETTI, Francesca, et al. "Pet Therapy In Elderly Patients With Mental Illness."
Psychogeriatrics 11.2 (2011): 125-129. Academic Search Complete. Web. 20 Oct.
2015.