Studies have shown that the bond between people and their pets results in many health benefits, lower stress, and happiness to their owners. Having a pet can be therapeutic for senior citizens as well. Check out these top six healing powers pets for older people.
Heals depression and loneliness
Being lonely and depressed can adversely affect a person’s health. Having a pet around will give them a reason to get up and look after them. There will be someone so sweet cutie cat or dog relying on them to provide food, water, love, and attention. Pets spend their time and mold their personality according to you, thus becoming companions to heal their loneliness and depression.
Relieves pain
Pets have the power to help heal patients experiencing emotional or physical pain, especially older people. Pet therapy or animal-assisted therapy is a growing field that uses dogs or other animals to help them recover and better cope with pain and health problems.
Reduces stress and blood pressure
Based on evidence,[2] pets positively affect mental health problems like difficulties and some anxiety, mood disturbances, and reduced stress reactions. Older people with pets exhibit less stress may be due to regular walks or the sense that they have a friend to share their everyday life’s challenges. Gazing at pets, stroking an animal’s fur, or bonding is a calming activity that activates the hormone oxytocin, which induces relaxation. Animal interaction distracts seniors from worry by lowering the stress hormone cortisol. Purring or that tail that wags them every day will ease their burden from stress and blood pressure.
Aids mobility
As people get older, special therapy dogs can be beneficial, such as being around the home and helping them to get something. Pets like dogs can help them collect objects or walk with those with limited visibility. Therapy dogs can help the elderly in an emergency, such as a fall, or maybe be able to retrieve the telephone or get help quickly in other ways once trained.
Aids cardiovascular health
A study[3] of 1179 subjects found that pet owners had lower systolic blood pressure, pulse, a lower incidence of hypertension, and mean arterial pressure than nonowners. For dog owners, regular walking lowers the risk of high cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and being overweight. Cat owners tend to have less hypertension than non-cat owners due to its calming influence. Use a real-time Remote Patient Monitoring solution for hypertension at your comfort anytime, anywhere.
Keeps you physically active
There are physical benefits as well as many emotional advantages of being around pets. Like dogs must have a walk regularly or even do some play stuff activities, which gives the older adult a reason to keep themselves active. Increased exercise from dogs or pets is related to a lower body mass index and obesity rate, and fewer clinic appointments.
Takeaway
Pets can play an essential role in older people’s lives. Indeed, there’s a strong connection between pets and the elderly due to fantastic healing benefits that lead them to a much happier and healthier lifestyle. But it takes what we call a give and take relationship; beyond those benefits mentioned, you also have to be responsible for taking care of your pet.
If you are a senior wanting to own a pet, talk to your healthcare provider to know about the health-related issues you need to consider.
References:
- “The Power of Pets | NIH News in Health.” NIH News in Health, newsinhealth.nih.gov, 1 Feb. 2018, https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets.
- Wisdom, Jennifer P., et al. “Another Breed of ‘Service’ Animals: STARS Study Findings about Pet Ownership and Recovery from Serious Mental Illness – PMC.” PubMed Central (PMC), www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2854030/. Accessed 22 July 2022.
- “Pet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk | Circulation.” Circulation, www.ahajournals.org, 1 July 2022, https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/cir.0b013e31829201e1#
