Just wanted to hear everyone's opinions about having pets in the home.Do you think they help or hurt your elderly loved ones.What are the advantages /disadvantages in having them in the house with your loved one..Do you think it helps with their emotional well being, exercising, overall mental/physical wellbeing.I start this discussion because of a post that was made to me by someone that thought. it was "disgusting" to have pets in the home with your elderly loved one. What do you guys think?
I wish my parents would have continued to have had pets, it would have given them something to do doing the day, and something new to talk about. I know dogs are wonderful to have, and give people great exercise for walking.
In my neighborhood there is an older woman who walks her large dog twice a day... and it's not a slow pace, but a brisk walk.... it really helped her after she had hip surgery, she recovered quickly, and she is able to clean up after him during the walks.
If an elder would like a pet, one has to consider the life span of that pet, such as will the pet outlive the pet parent and will there be someone to bring that pet into their own home. If there is a back-up plan in case the owner passes on, great, I think an older person would greatly benefit from having a mild mannered pet to care for on a daily basis.
They don't play noisy video games, don't need the latest wireless devices, don't play loud music, don't watch tv, don't sponge off their parents if they don't feel like working, don't make excuses why they can't visit ....they just give and give.
I've read research that just the act of petting a furry critter (domesticized, of course!) has a calming effect for a person, but the pet also benefits from lower blood pressure through the act of being petted by a human.
Animals are so forgiving; they've been domesticated (with the exception of some breeds which require training) so they're perfect companions.
I've also read of animal therapy being used for veterans with PTSD. The vets have said that the animals accept them unconditionally, don't judge whether or not they've had to kill in combat, don't condemn them for their service or profession, and have opened new avenues of healing for them.
I'm sure everyone is aware of pets that are also trained to alert for specific medical conditions, such as seizures.
The problem with an elderly person having a pet though can be mobility. My father loves dogs and would love to have one but in his current situation it would be difficult to care for a dog.
So we ask neighbors to bring their dogs over for visits.
I've made some inquiries how to get more animal interaction, besides going to dog parks, but it seems that most opportunities would involve volunteering at shelters, which would probably be challenging for someone who uses a walker.
Prisons are also using animals to rehabilitate and provide careers for certain categories of offenders. Caring for the dogs apparently gives them a direction as well as new purpose in life.
If I had the time, I'd like to start a visiting pet therapy program whereby folks with dogs brought them to visit seniors, kind of like Meals on Wheels but it would be Dogs on Wheels.
Nursing homes have pet therapy programs; one assisted living facility even had a resident dog, or maybe it was a cat...I don't remember. I think that's one of the best ideas I've heard for facilities. Now, if only hospitals would adopt the idea...
Seniors can certainly benefit from contact with pets. If it's not possible to have their own there are visiting pet programs here in Canada with volunteers and their dogs visiting nursing homes each week. Many NHs have a resident dog or cat and a lot of them have fish tanks.
Plus there are many dogs and even some cases cats, who are trained to help the elderly or the disabled. They are wonderful companions too :)
I'm by no means a hoarder but she was a special case. If she hadn't been found, , in the middle of a back road desperately trying to eat a dead bird, she didn't have much longer to live. Never gone looking for animals, they just find me :) She's so very tiny she can't manage dry food and gets 3 meat meals a day.
She's one of the very lucky ones. So many get dumped out here in the country and left to die. Some days I loathe humans!
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