real life examples
5
Psychological benefits
Firstly, dogs offer constant company and are never off duty. They will always show unconditional love. Even though they often only sleep, while the owner is occupied elsewhere, the feeling of always having company seems to be of great importance to enhancing quality of life. This is clearly of great importance to elderly people, who often suffer from loneliness.
Without dogs, for many people it seems that there would be much reduced warmth, friendship and security that a dog can provide. Elderly people often report feeling insecure and vulnerable; dogs can offer the stability that is needed.
After reviewing 25 studies, Sarah Burke found that elderly residents in nursing homes exposed to pets consistently smiled more and became measurably more alert than those who did not interact with pets.
These results show the psychological improvement and stimulation pets have on elderly people. Could it be the wagging tail they see as soon as they wake up, that boosts elderly people to get up and stay active?
As Maria Kale explains,
'It may sound like a tall order for a small bundle of fur to fill, but there's apparently a lot to be said for the snuggling, laughter and unconditional love that pets provide.''
As Maria Kale later explains, dogs are often the pet which provide the most support, because a strong emotional tie can form between the elderly person and their dog, due largely to their intelligence. However, it is important to consider that different pets suit different people and can all offer the same benefits.
10 reasons you need a pet'' by Philip Moeller.
''The routine of caring for a pet can bring structure and purpose to daily life. Maybe you don't always want to get out of bed, but your pet wants you to. Isn't that a good thing?'’
Conversation with elderly dog
Case study, at crufts dog show:
Janice explained she has owned Cassie since she was a puppy, and through her description the pair seem inseparable. Certainly all the way through my conversation with her, she had Cassie close beside her. She stumbled across the charity Support Dogs by accident, and within a short Cassie was taken to be trained to wok to assist her: such as raising the alarm if she falls out of her chair, picking up objects and dressing and undressing her. I spoke to her about the difficult four week period she was without her dog whilst training. She told me how she could not sleep in this time. The psychological and emotional difficulties she suffered during the four week period without her dog is a clear sign that dogs are irreplaceable in terms of support to an elderly person. She jokingly said that Cassie sometimes looks at her as if to say ''why don't you just pick up the keys yourself;'' she clearly loves her dogs nature, Cassie makes her happy. Her being at Crufts dog show has shown me that having Cassie has made her get out more, and speak to more people. If it was not for her dog, she would not have interacted with me, or any of the other dogs at Crufts. There is clearly a lot to be said for dogs who help elderly people, especially those with disabilities.
(name of dog and human been changed for identification purposes)