Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
This study was undertaken to assess the therapeutic roles of pet mascots on a hospital ward with total-care elderly patients and to explore the logistics of pet maintenance. Staff (N = 19) on a ward where feline mascots had been kept over two years were interviewed. Mascots were observed to stimulate patient responsiveness, give patients pleasure, enhance the treatment milieu, and act as a form of reality therapy. Further research is suggested.
Clark M. Brickel (1979) studied this question.