Seniors & Pets
Pets Can Be the Perfect Prescription for Seniors
By Beth Chipley, published Oct 30, 2006
Are you taking care of your pet or is your pet taking care of you? The answer is “both” and there is solid research to back that up. Most senior-aged pet owners don’t even realize the medical benefits they are receiving from owning, walking, feeding and loving their pet. Studies show that pets not only foster feelings of love and security but can also help lower a person's blood pressure, heart rate and stress level. Cat owners enjoy the same benefits as dog owners proving that pets can improve your health even if they are of the finicky persuasion.
Dr. Laura Ivan, D.V.M, with Imperial Animal Hospital in Imperial, Missouri, strongly believes pets can have a positive effect on the lives of seniors.
“Dogs and all pets can be an incredible benefit to geriatric patients and people,” Dr. Ivan said.
“We know that they can lower people’s blood pressure.”
On the Web site, www.preciouspets.org, an article written on the health benefits of pets by Ursula Cunningham quotes a study done in 2002 by the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The study revealed the heart rates and blood pressure of pet owners increased less if their animals were with them when they were presented with math problems to solve.
Another study, cited by Cunningham, was conducted by the National Institutes of Health in 2001, and found that people who own pets “make fewer doctor visits, especially for non-serious conditions,” and are more likely to still be living one year after being treated for a coronary condition.
Some older people may lack their own social circles and therefore have fewer opportunities for recreation and activity. A warm cat on their lap or a dog that is filled with joy upon their owner’s return home can be therapeutic to the soul.
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