specialty focus
Best friends
Senior rescue pets the perfect lockdown pals for older Australians .
By Eleanor Campbell
After losing her beloved staffy of 10 years , finding company in an eight-year-old senior rescue dog has eased the mundanities of lockdown for 87-year-old Newcastle resident Elizabeth Walters .
“ I think that they ’ re good for your temperament ,” she told Aged Care Insite . “ You have to get up in the morning , because you have to take them outside , and you have to feed them , you have to be strict with yourself in not forgetting them . “ I think it keeps you on your toes .” Elizabeth began searching online after her 16-year-old dog Nellie was put down earlier this year , an experience that caused her to feel depressed and lonely .
After browsing the RSPCA rescue dog database , she came across a page filled with furry senior dogs , cats and horses , and settled on a white Maltese cross .
Within weeks of welcoming Nellie number two into her home , Elizabeth said that she recognised an improvement in her overall wellbeing , and embraced the joy of having a living companion to provide care for .
“ It ’ s just the company of having someone in the house with you ,” she said .
“ That was the thing I noticed most when my husband died , then the dog died , and I thought , ‘ I ’ ve got no one to look after , what am I going to do ?’
“ That ’ s why I got a dog , I think it ’ s important .”
Having an animal in later life has been linked to improved mental health , higher levels of physical activity , and greater social interaction .
Studies have found that adult Australians who lived alone with a dog during the first wave of lockdowns experienced decreased feelings of loneliness and were more likely to be mindful .
Despite her precocious nature , spending her days with Nellie has allowed Elizabeth to integrate a new friend into her daily routine of morning walks and afternoon gardening sessions .
“ Because she ’ s eight years old , she has a mind of her own ,” she said .
“ She ’ s never been taught to walk properly on the lead , so we ’ ve had a few little tussles with that .
“ Other than that she ’ s very loving , very pleased to see you , not all that obedient , but we ’ re getting there .”
Over the course of the pandemic , thousands of Australians have turned to dogs and cats to buffer the effects of isolation , with shelters experiencing record highs in pet adoptions .
While waitlists for puppies and kittens stretch on for months , senior rescue dogs and cats are often dismissed by adopters , according to RSPCA spokesperson Helen Trussler .
This sparked the idea to offer older people in the community reduced adoption fees for dogs and cats aged
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There ’ s huge health benefits attached to owning an animal later in life .
over 10 , which was then launched as part of the NSW seniors card scheme in 2020 . “ We ’ d had people come up to us at the store , and they ’ d say to us , ‘ Oh , we ’ d love to have a pet , we ’ ve always been dog owners ’, but they ’ re obviously now elderly ,” said Trussler .
“ We thought , you know what , elderly people and elderly cats and dogs are a perfect match for each other because their lifestyle is the same .” During its first year , the RSPCA Seniors for Seniors program has rehoused over 50 senior rescue animals to people around the state aged over 60 . The initiative aims to create an ideal match between animal and owner , tailoring the needs of each senior pet to the living situation of its adoptee .
The RSPCA ’ s ‘ golden oldie ’ animals have been a triumph , with an overwhelmingly positive response from participants so far , according to Trussler .
“ We know that for companionship , a healthy lifestyle and the cholesterol rates , the heart levels , everything , there ’ s huge health benefits attached to owning an animal later in life ,” she said .
“ Especially if you ’ ve been widowed , or you ’ re an empty nester , or you just generally are isolated , and lots of people are in this day and age .”
If owners are no longer able to look after their pets , the animals are refostered under the RSPCA ’ s forever home program . ■ agedcareinsite . com . au 23