COMPANION PETS
Amazing benefits to seniors having pets
P
ets bring much joy to the lives
they touch. So it should come
as no surprise that the 2019-
2020 National Pet Owners
Survey, which was conducted by the
American Pet Products Association,
found that about 85 million families in
the United States own a pet.
In Canada, 7.5 million households
are home to companion animals,
states the PetBacker blog.
Pets offer companionship and uncon-
ditional love. While they are fitting for
any family, seniors may find that hav-
ing a pet is especially beneficial. The
organization A Place for Mom, which
helps match families with senior living
residences, says pets provide a com-
fort system that produces measurable
health results. Caring for pets and being
around them can produce a chemical
chain reaction in the brain that may help
to lower stress hormones while also
increasing production of the feel-good
hormone serotonin.
This is not the only health benefit
pets may provide. A recent study from
the Mayo Clinic, which looked at 1,800
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people between the ages of 25 and 64
who had healthy hearts, found that
almost half owned a dog. Having a dog
was likely to spur heart-healthy behav-
iors, like exercising with the pet, eating
well and having ideal blood sugar lev-
els.
Pets also provide emotional sup-
port and companionship that can help
seniors — including those who may
be divorced or widowed — feel more
secure and happy. The National Poll
on Healthy Aging found that, among
respondents who had pets, 88 percent
said their pets helped them enjoy life,
and 86 percent said their pets made
them feel loved.
Seniors considering getting a pet can
explore the many benefits to doing so.
• Reduce pain: A 2012 study pub-
lished in Pain Magazine found therapy
dogs provided “significant reduction in
pain and emotional distress for chronic
pain patients.”
• Feeling of purpose: Caring for an
animal not only stimulates physical
activity, but it also can give seniors a
reason to get up and go, which equates
to a feeling of purpose.
• Altered focus: Having a pet can
help seniors focus on something other
than physical or mental health issues
and preoccupations about loss or aging,
according to New York-based psycholo-
gist Penny B. Donnenfeld.
• Increased physical activity: Pets
require care, and that interaction can get
seniors moving more than if they didn’t
have a pet.
• Improved health: Ongoing research
from Harvard Medical School has found
dog owners have lower blood pressure,
healthier cholesterol levels and lower
risk of heart disease than those who
don’t own a dog.
• Stick to routine: Caring for pets
helps seniors maintain a routine. Having
structure after retirement can be import-
ant to ward off risk of depression.
Staying on top of feeding, grooming and
other pet needs also can help prevent
cognitive decline.
Pets bring many benefits to their
owners’ lives, and they may be the per-
fect remedy for seniors looking for a
friend and purpose.
TIMELESS MERIDIAN