| |
 |  Chat Room |
|  Friends Everyone Needs |
|  Food Resources |
|  Help Us Help! |
|  Humor Corner |
|  On The Drawing Board |
|  Russell's Furry Family |
|  Senior Activities & Fitness |
|  Seniors & Pets |
|  Video Library |
 | HOME |
 Bulletin Board |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chief Executive Officer:
Russell T. HartsawResource Links
Seniors & Pets
|
|
Combating Loneliness, Improving Health
"Emotionally, pets can bring new meaning and purpose to the life of a senior who is living far away from friends or family," said Kelly Connolly, HSUS issues specialist for companion animals. "The unconditional love and commitment to their owners is almost like free therapy. They can act as friends, entertainers, and warm, fuzzy bundles of joy.
Having a pet in an elderly person's life can offer them a sense of well being, a sense of encouragement, and even a reason for living. Being responsible for another life often gives new meaning to the lives of those who are living alone or far from loved ones. Caring for and providing a loving home to a companion animal also helps elderly people to remain active and stay healthy."
In addition to easing loneliness, pets may also make seniors healthier. Studies suggest that contact with animals can lower blood pressure. Research also indicates a link between pet ownership and an increased survival rate for cardiac patients. Other potential health benefits can include decreased stress, reduced bone loss, lowered cholesterol levels, and improved blood circulation.
Unfortunately due to senior citizens low incomes they cannot afford housing where pets are allowed. This is a loss for the lonely senior citizen and the pet that needs someone to care for them.
Senior Pet Owners Live Longer
You've probably noticed that when you pet a soft, warm cat or play fetch with a dog whose tail won't stop wagging, you relax and your heart feels a little warmer. Scientists have noticed the same thing, and they've started to explore the complex way animals affect human emotions and physiology. The resulting studies have shown that owning and handling animals significantly benefits health, and not just for the young. In fact, pets may help elderly owners live longer, healthier, and more enjoyable lives. Our Senior Helpers caregivers see it daily in San Diego.
A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society demonstrated that independently living seniors that have pets tend to have better physical health and mental wellbeing than those that don't. They're more active, cope better with stress, and have better overall health. A recent study showed that elderly pet owners had significantly lower blood pressure overall than their contemporaries without pets. In fact, an experimental residential home for the elderly called the Eden Alternative, which is filled with over 100 birds, dogs, and cats and has an outside environment with rabbits and chickens, has experienced a 15 percent lower mortality rate than traditional nursing homes over the past five years.
How do they do it?
There are a number of explanations for exactly how pets accomplish all these health benefits. First of all, pets need walking, feeding, grooming, fresh water, and fresh kitty litter, and they encourage lots of playing and petting. All of these activities require some action from owners. Even if it's just getting up to let a dog out a few times a day or brushing a cat, any activity can benefit the cardiovascular system and help keep joints limber and flexible. Consistently performing this kind of minor exercise can keep pet owners able to carry out the normal activities of daily living. Pets may also aid seniors simply by providing some physical contact. Studies have shown that when people pet animals, their blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature decrease. Many benefits of pet ownership are less tangible, though. Pets are an excellent source of companionship, for example. They can act as a support system for older people who don't have any family or close friends nearby to act as a support system. The JAGS study showed that people with pets were better able to remain emotionally stable during crises than those without. Pets can also work as a buffer against social isolation. Often the elderly have trouble leaving home, so they don't have a chance to see many people. Pets give them a chance to interact. This can help combat depression, one of the most common medical problems facing seniors today. The responsibility of caring for an animal may also give the elderly a sense of purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. Pets also help seniors stick to regular routines of getting up in the morning, buying groceries, and going outside, which help motivate them to eat and sleep regularly and well.
Pets in residence. The animals help people keep their mind off their problems. The love that people get from the animals is unconditional. This is just another way for a caregiver to provide the best possible service to you or your loved one. If you have a pet companion but are unable to take care of oneself and/or the animal, a caregiver would be a great solution to keeping you with your pet(s) and staying happy along with them.
