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SOuTHERN SENIOR MAGAzINE
| Fall 2016
or elderly pet owners, who often live alone or
in group facilities, pets can help reduce stress,
lower blood pressure, increase social interac-
tion and physical activity and help them learn.
"A new pet can stimulate someone to read up
on an animal or breed, which can be very mentally stimulating
and important at that age," says Dr. Katharine Hillestad, a vet-
erinarian with the office of Doctors Foster and Smith in
Rhinelander, Wis., which provides online advice and retails
pet supplies and pharmaceuticals.
Pets provide other intangibles. "Dogs and other pets
live very much in the here and now. They don't worry about to-
morrow. And tomorrow can be very scary for an older person.
By having an animal with that sense of now, it tends to rub off
on people," says Dr. Jay P. Granat, a New Jersey psychotherapist.
And pets can reduce depression and lessen loneliness. "Older
pet owners have often told us how incredibly barren and lonely
their lives were without their pet's companionship
While the primary benefits to animals are obvious -
to place them in loving homes and keep them from being de-
stroyed - the benefits to elderly persons are ten-fold (versus non-
pet owners).
1. Pets lower blood pressure and pulse rate
2. 21% fewer visits to the doctor
3. Less depression
4. Easier to make friends (enhanced social opportunities)
5. Seniors become more active
6. Pets offer affection and unconditional love
7. Pets ease loss of a loved one
8. Pets fight loneliness
9. Seniors take better care of themselves
10. Sense of security
In 1980, a clinical research project at Brooklyn Col-
lege, New York, studied heart-disease patients after their dis-
charge from the hospital. Dr. Erika Friedmann, Ph.D.,
professor of health and nutrition sci-
ences at the College, tracked each
survivor, studying their medical his-
tories, lifestyles, families, relation-
ships - every documentable detail.
Co-researcher Dr. Aaron Katcher,
M.D., reported:
"The presence of a pet was
the strongest social predictor of sur-
vival...not just for lonely or depressed
people, but everyone - independent of marital status and ac-
cess to social support from human beings."
"Many researchers are finding that the most serious
disease for older persons is not cancer or heart disease - it's
loneliness...Love is the most important health tonic we have
and pets are one of nature's best sources of love...
Dogs and cats help everyone overcome the pain of
loneliness by supplying companionship and affection...Pets
make you laugh and divert your mind from troubles...they
broaden your circle of friends and encourage good health
through exercise...pets can aid relaxation, lower one's blood
pressure, promote health, and prolong life. They help us un-
wind...a cuddle a day may keep the doctor away...
Many elderly and lonely individuals have discovered
that pets satisfy their needs and enable them to hold on to the
world of reality, of care, of human toil and sacrifice, and of in-
tense emotional relationships. Their self-concept as worthwhile
individuals is restored and even enhanced when they find that
the pet they have been caring for loves them in return."
One of the best places to find a good pet is your local
animal shelter. Those animals are usually very healthy, have
had their vaccinations, have been wormed, and either spayed
or nurtured. They get lots of attention and care, and are ready
for a home with a loving owner. Check out your local animal
shelter, and help yourself, and a homeless pet, by helping your-
self to a new best friend. For info, visit:
F
The Healing Power of
Pets for Elderly People
from AgingCare.com and...
