For many people, relationships with family pets and household furry friends are some of the most treasured and dear in our lives. The positive impact that animals can have on the lives of their owners can be observed by almost anyone, even if that same impact can be difficult to quantify.
So it’s no surprise that research has been suggesting the importance of involving animals in the care and therapy of older patients. Service animals, therapy animals, and emotional support animals (ESAs) can often fill roles and needs that are hard to otherwise meet with efforts from human interactions and caregivers.
Potential physical and mental health benefits here are numerous. There’s a little more to it than simply stopping by the shelter to pick up a new dog for grandpa, though. So let’s discuss the details, and how this approach can improve the quality of life for our loved ones.
How Animals and Pets Can Impact Quality of Life
First, some explanations on how and why. Those of us outside of this demographic may take for granted some of the challenges and discomforts that come with this stage of life. Understanding the nuances at play helps both with effectively implementing an animal-assisted approach, as well as empathizing with the experiences.
Levels of independence and support needs vary from individual to individual at every stage of life, and the Golden Years are no exception. Where this life stage stands out is in its contrast: for many who reach it, they’ve been responsible for their own care for the majority of their life. So finding themselves suddenly in need of assistance can be a bit of a shock.
On top of that, where other life stages tend to have built-in systems for support, socialization, and supervision (parents caring for young children; students interacting with other students; teachers, bosses, and other positions of authority that tend to check in occasionally), retirement age can often lack much of that.
Not only that, but it’s not uncommon for people to reach the end of their working years, only to realize that much of their life was defined by meeting the needs and expectations of others (in both positive and negative contexts).
Even elderly individuals who maintain a high level of physical mobility and personal independence can find themselves without children to care for, bosses to satisfy, or peer groups to keep in touch with. It can be lonely, and it can lead to feelings of insignificance.
Animals tend to counteract a lot of this. A household pet, for example, creates many of the same dynamics that are lost as we grow older. You have to look after a pet, feed them, clean up after them, and give them exercise. Your pet looks forward to seeing you, and enjoys interacting with you. And your pet can be the reason you get out of bed even when nothing else seems worth it or necessary.
Being needed, being expected, being depended upon, these are good things when applied in moderation. And that’s before you consider how a dog helps you get out of the house and stay active, or feeding a cat can help you stick to a routine (among other benefits).
Pet Therapy? Animal-Assisted Care? Emotional Support Animals? Which Is Which?
Ok, we’ve talked a little about what some of the most intuitive benefits are, even when all you’re doing is caring for a pet. But involving an animal in efforts to improve health and well-being for seniors goes well beyond that.
The first layer to this is perhaps adopting a pet specifically to achieve improved wellness outcomes. This is often referred to as an emotional support animal (ESA), particularly when the concerns are primarily focused on mental health issues.
On the far other end of the spectrum are service animals—trained and certified animals used specifically to provide accommodations for those with heightened risk factors and/or significant challenges interfering with otherwise daily tasks.
Both of the above are fairly common, even outside of discussions about the needs of healthcare for the elderly. What is perhaps less common for others but increasingly common for senior care are pet therapy and animal assisted intervention.
You may hear variations of these terms (animal therapy, animal assistant therapy, etc.), but in most cases, the meaning is largely the same. This form of care involves using a facility animal to help patients by calming their anxieties, providing companionship, and otherwise making patients feel more comfortable.
The key detail, here, is that the animal is not the dedicated pet of a single senior; it’s a working animal that belongs to the facility. In this case, likely an assisted living center, memory care center, or similar.
Using animals as part of patient care in this way is very similar to how some pediatric wards use facility animals to soothe young patients, who are naturally apprehensive about their situation. And, as in that case, this approach can sidestep some of the normal hurdles that pet ownership presents to patients with reduced mobility or independence (more on that below).
Major Concerns and Challenges
ESAs and service animals are the flip side of a coin to therapy and facility animals. The advantages of one are the drawbacks of the other, and vice versa. For example, personally owning the pet or service animal comes with these added benefits:
- A personal, intimate relationship with the animal
- More control over what kind of animal is used in the patient’s care
- Access to the animal outside of a specific facility or location
But being a pet owner also comes with some clear challenges:
- Pets, even service animals, have to be cared for, including feeding and hygiene
- Seniors may not have anyone to assist with such duties when they are unable to do so themselves
- The full financial burden of providing for the animal is on the pet owner
On the other hand, animal assisted care in a facility comes with upsides like:
- Seniors are not personally responsible for the care of the animal
- Financial burdens related to acquiring, training, and providing for the animal is distributed across all patients at the facility
- Interactions with the animal may also foster interactions between patients, amplifying social and emotional benefits
And the downsides are similarly contrasted against personal ownership:
- Therapy animals have to divide their attention and their time across multiple patients, limiting how much a single patient can interact with the animal
- Facilities choose the animal, and seniors will have limited input on the matter (if any)
- In most situations, patients have to be onsite at the facility to interact with the animal.
Ultimately, there are quite a few nuances here, and how you decide to involve animals in the care of a loved one (or yourself, if this is you we’ve been discussing), is up to you. What’s important is that you have options, and the best option is the one that works for your circumstances.
Learn more at inhomecare.com where you’ll find diverse resources, practical solutions, and compassionate guidance tailored to the needs of seniors and caregivers.
