It doesn’t take an expert to tell you just how good pets make humans feel. Those who’ve at least even just once stroked a cat or dogs fur know this to be true. One can go as far as to say that owning and having pets can be quite therapeutic, a fact that’s actually backed by scientific evidence.
Take for example just spending 15 minutes with any pet can help set off a unique reaction in the human brain wherein the levels of the so-called “stress hormone” cortisol are lowered while at the same time production of feel-good hormone serotonin is increased. The resulting feeling isn’t just good; we’re talking about lower heart rate, blood pressure and even stress levels. When exposure extends to that of many months or years the list of benefits become even longer, included of which is a better chance of protection against heart disease, stroke, and even depression!
With so many benefits it’s no wonder why many senior living communities are starting to encourage their elderly members to adopt a so-called “therapy pet”.
Their Impact on Quality of Life
For many younger adults having a dog means having a companion, having someone to walk or run with providing immediate cardiovascular benefit. However for the elderly who cannot be as active as they once were things are a bit different.
During the twilight years of one’s life the impact that the unconditional love of a pet dog or cat can make is huge
To the elderly something as simple as having to care for something, having to brush and feed them helps provide them with a means to stay engaged with everything around them. Even more than that having pets help make the elderly feel needed, arguably a universal need that all humans can relate to.
To put it simply having pets can help renew the elderly’s interest in life making them feel less lonely and a lot more satisfied with who they are.
Retirement Communities and Therapy Pets
Years ago, those living in nursing homes or retirement communities would have no choice but to leave their animal companions behind. This also meant that those who haven’t had a chance to own pets during their younger years would also not be able to do so anymore. While this still remains true today plenty of retirement communities have taken steps to try and integrate pets into their communities, especially now that the benefits of having therapy pets for the elderly are evident more so than before.
Many retirement communities who’ve made pets an integral part of what they do have noticed both the immediate and long-term benefits of doing so, not just for the owners but also for other people within the community.
New residents, for one, are prone to feeling sad and lonely. They may even feel depressed now that they’ve been left in such communities by their families. As a result, they can be withdrawn and will usually try to avoid socialization as much as possible. However the affable nature of pets, namely dogs and cats, can “force” them to socialize and help slowly draw them out so that they start interacting with the other people within the community.
With the benefits of pet therapy in the elderly still being studied, it is possible that we may have just scratched the surface. Still one thing is clear about what we know so far, having and owning pets can help make the remaining years of one’s life easier and much more satisfying.