How Animals Can Help With Senior Care

By Author: Kevin Bush
Total Articles: 14
Comment this article

When it comes to senior care, animal therapy can provide significant benefits that few types of medical or other therapeutic strategies can rival. However, a large amount of the recorded improvements observed during interactions between seniors and animals remain unexplained. Nevertheless, it's not something that needs explaining; for many people, animal therapy just works, and it might work for your elderly family members as well. The following are 5 ways that pet therapy for seniors can improve their quality of life.1.) CompanionshipOne of the biggest difficulties facing the elderly is loneliness. In fact, many people believe that because humans are such highly social creatures, loneliness can actually lead to a decline in emotional and physical health. Animal companionship fills this empty gap in a senior's life. If cared for properly, animals can provide constant companionship, affection, and in some cases even improve mobility issues by helping a person stay active.2.) Keep Busy/DistractionElderly people with dementia or chronic pain can benefit from animal therapy because the interaction with a pet can help to distract ...
... them from their discomfort and focus their mind on other things. Animals provide plenty of reason to do more than just watch television, stare out the window or sleep. In fact, because animals are sometimes known to be able to sense emotional upset or physical discomfort, they may actively seek to engage their owners when they sense this, providing reassurance and a warm, welcome distraction.3.) Healthy RoutinesAs we age the routines that we keep tend to change. With kids no longer in the home and in some cases no spouse or other family to care for, the elderly sometimes stop following any routine at all - an unhealthy choice as the mind and body need to stay active in order to maintain their functions.Like humans, animals also function well with a routine. They need to be taken out to relieve themselves, fed, groomed and interacted with on a regular, several-times-a-day basis. When an elderly person has a pet, they often find it much easier to maintain a routine because they MUST do so in order to care for their animals.The need to care for other living beings is a critical human need, so a pet-related routine shouldn't be looked at as a hindrance or bother - it could prove extremely beneficial because it will allow the pet owner to have something to care about/for again, giving new meaning to their life.4.) Emotional & Physical ConnectionA common problem with many seniors is withdrawal from relationships and social interaction; especially when dementia is present. Having an animal or taking part in pet therapy can help to mitigate this serious concern, as seniors often take readily to animals whereas they may withdraw even from people they have known their entire lives. Having emotional connections is critical for sound mental health.Additionally, just the act of petting or playing with a pet can provide that critical need that all humans have for physical affection with a being that they care about.5.) Longer LifeMany studies and a great deal of anecdotal evidence suggest that people who have pets live longer. This seems to be especially true in the case of senior care and elderly people, as keeping a routine, having companionship and an emotional connection with an animal can help to improve their physical health. And if their health improves, then it's likely that they'll live longer, better-quality lives.