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Guest Blog: The Secret behind the Bond of Senior Citizens and Pets

The research demonstrates the importance of pets in older individuals’ well-being and life expectancy. The aim of developing measures is to ensure that older adults can sustain a high level of health and well-being must include approaches that encourage the importance of pet-senior relationships.

One can be very socially isolated in old age. Nearest and dearest as well as mates shift somewhere or may die of old age, and it becomes increasingly tough to engage in once-loved hobbies. But there is one source of comfort and affection that helps seniors in many ways. These pets need affection and care, but they will surely offer their owners as much or more love in return. These should be handled nicely and taken care of as well. One can find lots of tips online on PetSafe’s official website that guides regarding pet handling and health concerns.

Researches have also shown that it can be physically and psychologically helpful for people of any age to own a pet. For elderly people, only 15 minutes of animal interaction causes a metabolic chain of events in the mind, reducing the stress and anger hormone, cortisol, and increase the release of the happiness hormone serotonin.

Pets are buddies, partners, mental state boosters, and perfect for fitness and social connections. Dogs and cats can add profound meaning to the life of an elderly person.

Let’s discuss few benefits of keeping pets for seniors

This reduces loneliness by having an animal companion with you. Some pets make perfect friends for traveling, as well. The elderly with pets have less anxiety than the elderly without pets. You get a chance to interact with other fellow humans as you take your dogs outside for a walk. And maintaining better relations with people around you is good for mental health so that pets implicitly make you more social. Pets allow you to frequently wake up, eat, work, exercise and sleep. Routines provide the objective and rhythm of your day that is helpful for dealing with depression.

Keeping pets can keep you healthy.

Let’s dive deeper into few health benefits associated with having animal companions:

 

Heart Benefits

Those with dogs or cats are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease. Pet owners have much higher chances of surviving the heart attack, lesser resting pulse rate, and blood pressure. Also, it is being shown that pet owners have smaller increases in heart rate and blood pressure in reaction to stress and anxiety, and faster recovery from stress.

Mental Health Benefits

Many older adults are isolated, and dog walks can assist them to interact with others. Plus, when the house itself is quiet, a pet friend becomes a center of affection, which decreases the sense of loneliness.

It turns out that pets are a big inspiration for their owners. In general, dogs are perfect for inspiring owners to exercise, which can be good for depressed people. They can help to relax and ease the mind by petting, lying next to an animal, or playing. Pets are like members of your family and give you a sense of being the one with whom you can share your everyday routine.

Active and sound body

A person who walked with pets increased their usual walking pace and duration and was much more inclined to go out for a walk than others who walked with a human partner. Human partners sometimes discourage one another from walking. In addition, dog-walking was correlated with lower body mass index, no other commitments in daily life, fewer medical visits, more regular moderate exercise.

For elderly people, other advantages of pet companionship also include decreases in blood pressure, cholesterol, and pulse rate. A study revealed that seniors who’ve had pets are 21 percent less likely to visit the doctor’s office and exhibit reduced symptoms of aging.

Seniors’ Pet Therapy

Those working to care for the elderly claim that walking and pampering the pet, helps seniors come out of their isolation, offers mild exercise and cardio, as well as provides a way to feel valued and engage with the world. Pet therapy can also assist with the Sundowners Syndrome of Alzheimer’s. For older individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, nighttime can be very disturbing and discomforting. This is when certain people with Alzheimer’s decision to run away or leave their families. Having those with Alzheimer’s associated with and distracted with a pet can prevent this problem.

 

By |2024-07-29T11:21:53-05:00August 1st, 2024|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on Guest Blog: The Secret behind the Bond of Senior Citizens and Pets

Guest Blog: 5 Benefits For Therapy Dogs For Seniors

No matter the age, a dog will always remain the best friend of a man.

As a child, adult, or an old person, dogs are loyal and truthful to their friendship with humans for years.

Hence, dogs are the chosen ones who help senior citizens with their daily lives. Dogs are perfect for training and harder not to love. These dog qualities have made them the perfect animal that works as a therapist for a human.

Find yourself or anyone else struggling in their old age. You can get them a therapy dog that will make their survival much more manageable.

Here are 5 benefits that prove how therapy dogs work their magic in the lives of senior people.

Improves Mental Health

A man needs love. A man is born to receive and give love. And a dog fills this void perfectly.

A dog loves a man unconditionally as long as the man loves him back. The world of a dog revolves around his best man, and if you train a dog enough to also take care of you, then they turn into impeccable therapists, as well.

So if you have someone who eagerly waits for you till you come back home, licks your face in the morning, and stays with you for the rest of the day, then you have someone to love and support for the most of your life, and this is what you need to heal your mental health.

This results in remarkable improvement in depressions, anxiety, and other mental disorders that a human suffers from.

Most senior people get themselves a dog in the later years of their life, which they do to stay sane and happy.

Increases Ability To Socialize More

Therapy dogs encourage people to interact better.

When people don’t feel lonely, they feel better about themselves. This is how they are enabled to communicate better with others.

Therapy dogs support and teach seniors by urging them to go out more often. So when you go out to take your pooch for a walk, there are high chances you get to interact with other pet owners who would like to speak with you about your experiences with a dog.

Some might stop for the cute little furry friend you have and ask you things about them. Hence giving you the chance to talk with and who knows, even make friends with other people.

Boosts Self-esteem

With the unconditional love you receive from a dog, you will feel worthy of yourself. This is what makes a man feel better about themselves. It further improves a man’s self-esteem, who will now go out as a happy and confident person.

Improved self-esteem significantly improves the quality of life and mental health, as well. And a therapy dog can help you achieve all of this. They are trained to love and take care of you in ways where you feel relieved and supported.

All you need is someone to stick to you through the worst, and pups do that without judgments.

Gives A Meaning And Purpose In Life

Taking care of a furry companion is not only fun but therapeutic. Having something meaningful to do adds a purpose to your life. And taking care of a dog and feeding them good dog food is just the purpose you should consider in later stages of life.

Not only will it structure and refine your schedule, but it will also keep you busy for most of the day to keep you away from boredom and loneliness. Because boredom and loneliness make a man succumb to the darkest part of life and leave them with nothing but harmful thoughts.

Alleviates Symptoms Of Dementia

Therapy dogs have proven to improve the mental health of the man to such an extent that they also help alleviate the symptoms of dementia. These include improving a man’s cognitive skills, giving them a reason to become a better version of themselves, and significantly improving their memory.

Dementia is a chronic disorder that can’t be reversed but can indeed be stopped from progressing. Thus, petting a dog at the right time is the best you can do for the disease and prevent it from worsening.

Apart from the medications, having a dog is of great help against dementia.

Last Thoughts

Therapy dogs are trained to help a senior person live a quality life. They help, support, care, and love a person without expecting anything in return. Also, who can avoid beautiful creatures like dogs? They are angels that blessed the world and were sent down to rescue humans.

Now that more people are becoming aware of the benefits of having a therapy dog, many people have become livelier and cheerful as adults. This trend probably wouldn’t come to a halt, so why not get a dog for yourself, too?

If you want to know more about dog’s love and care, visit Dog Food Desire.

 

By |2023-01-30T17:05:09-05:00February 7th, 2023|Dr. Mauk's Boomer Blog, News Posts|Comments Off on Guest Blog: 5 Benefits For Therapy Dogs For Seniors