A Pet Can Make Your Life Better - Part 2

In January, Aged in Vermont looked at how pets can help seniors with the aging process. This month, we discuss how companion animals may help them deal with some of the physical and sensory changes that come with aging. 

Vision: With proper correction of visual deficits, seniors can watch fish swim in an aquarium, or watch wild animals in the yard or birds flying. Important sensory stimulants like these keep an older person connected to the environment.

Hearing: Hearing loss is the third most frequently reported chronic condition of people over 65. A companion animal can alert its owner to both guests and intruders.  And in taking a pet for a walk, a senior often starts conversations with others.

Touch: Sensitivity to touch, which helps us perceive and express feelings, is reduced with aging.  At a time when there is a greater need for tactile stimulation but there are fewer opportunities to touch or be touched, pets can fill that need.  “The cold wet nose of a faithful canine friend, the velvet feel of a cat’s sleek coat, the softness of a bunny’s ears, the gentle peck of a budgie can be the stimulus that connects the older person to reality.” 

Smell and Taste: Changes in olfactory and gustatory systems are less noticeable but play an important role in the health and well-being of older persons. The diminished sense of smell may indirectly affect appetite and be accompanied by a gradual loss of taste buds so that a senior can’t enjoy the flavor of foods as much.

Good nutrition is critical to the overall health of older persons. Food intake is also influenced by the social environment so, for an older person living alone, having to prepare food for a pet may encourage them to prepare food for themselves. Often, pets can substitute for other social contact during meals.

Also, if a senior is less able to smell smoke from fire or toxic odors, pets can often alert their owners to those dangerous changes in the environment.

Cardiovascular System: Companion animals can make an important difference in promoting quality of life for seniors with cardiovascular disease.  Watching or petting a pet can help them relax and lower blood pressure.  Walking a pet or playing catch may be just the stimulus an older person needs to engage in activity.  Having to walk or care for pets becomes a reason to get up in the morning.

Musculoskeletal System: Changes in the musculoskeletal system directly affect how well older persons can move about in their environment. Disuse impairs many functions. Companion animals can play a very important role here: Brisk walking, easily done with a dog, is the simplest form of weight-bearing exercise.  Throwing a toy or holding an object for a cat to paw provides an opportunity to exercise arm and shoulder joints.

A pet can help an older person, not only with better physical health, but with dealing with loss, improved social attitudes, mental health, and happiness. All good reasons to own a pet!

Excerpted from “The Role Animals Play in Enhancing Quality of Life for the Elderly.”