Theoretical Analysis of the Possibility to Incorporate Animal-Assisted Interventions into Psychosocial Service for Elderly People in Geriatric Centers

The article contains a theoretical overview of the bases of animal-assisted interventions within the structure of psychosocial service for elderly people in geriatric centers. It also contains analysis of the main theories that explain the impact of animal-assisted interventions on the emotional state in humans, as well as the opportunities to incorporate such an approach in various types of psychosocial work. The article contains a thorough summary of the recent research papers on the use of animal-assisted interventions in educational and therapeutic work with elderly people in geriatric centers. The conclusion of the theoretical overview is that among the analyzed theories that explain the effect of animal-assisted interventions, the most scientifically grounded is the physiological theory, according to which the human brain produces a range of neurotransmitters that activate pleasurable emotional experience during human-animal interaction. Generally, the review of scientific articles has allowed us to discover the benefits of animal-assisted interventions in various human service fields, including occupational therapy, psychotherapy, counseling, and social service. In this view, there are various skills that can be supported for development when working with elderly people in geriatric centers, such as the following:1. Physical skills, including handling a wheelchair and the body balance.2. Psychological skills, including individual and group communication and interaction, self-esteem, leisure and recreation, attention, decrease of the subjective sense of loneliness, short- and long-term memory.3. Motivation, including interaction with staff members, exercise of goal-making.