New study: Older adults’ cognitive decline slows with long-term dog

Does your Grandma, Grandpa, or someone else that you know, own a dog? How old is that dog or how long have they had that dog? Does someone of the more elderly age that you know have even the slightest decline of their cognitive abilities? Turns out that if you answered yes to any of these questions that you may benefit over here. A new study performed recently that those older adults who have owned a dog long-term have quite a bit less of a chance of their cognitive decline speeding up. In other words, those older adults with long-term dogs, have a slower cognitive decline, study shows!

As we all know, dogs can bring so much life and joy into our lives, that sometimes we don’t know what to do with it all!

Whether you’re old or young (at heart, too of course duh), this can certainly reign true for you too! If someone you know is getting older, please do not try to take their dog away from them! Studies have shown that that can actually help someone who’s older’s mental state (above the rest of us too, of course)! Stay tuned for more info on that study in particular.

Cognitive decline in older adults may be slowed by dogs…long-term dogs that is. Does this apply to anyone that you may know?

According to this new and improved study, as recorded by a team over at the University of Michigan, older adults don’t have to have had a dog for 10 years…at least 5 is what this study was looking for in it’s pool of over 1,300 people to be semi-exact.

Within this study, the average age of the ‘older adults’ participants was 65.

While these benefits, to be discussed way more in depth down below, benefitted all participants within this particular study, the study actually showed that the benefits showed to be higher, and better for that matter, in the following three ‘groups’: black people, college-educated people, and men.

Skipping to the end of this study just for a second over here:

"“The results of the preliminary study are due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting held in Seattle in April.”~ The University of Michigan, Study Team (et. all)"

Back to the rest of the study now…

So, anyways, prior studies have shown some other medical benefits like lowered BP and lowered stress levels as well (thanks to Dr. Tiffany Braley, author of the U of M study discussed right now). However, this brand new study states some other things in relation to more cognitive signs, as opposed to physical outside signs.

At the beginning of the study, all 1,369 participants, to be super exact over here, had just about average cognitive skills. Here’s just a little tad bit more about how the rest of and the end of the study went!

• 53% actually owned pets – 35% were long-term dog owners
• As far as the more demographics side(s) of things go:
  • White Participants = 88%
  • Black Participants = 7%
  • Some Other Ethnicity/Race Participants = 3%
  • Hispanic Participants = 2%
• Tests ranges in scores from 0-27
  • Here’s what the tests included in some areas of cognitive abilities:
    • Different mathematical abilities, such as subtraction, counting (numbers of course), and specific word recalls
  • Scores were compared with years of pet ownership as well
• Within 6 years, cognitive scores decreased with pet owners, specifically long-term ones
• Long-term dog owners’ scores were averagely 1.2 points higher than non-long-term owners

Once again, bringing up Dr. Tiffany Braley’s opinions over here, she believes that, when it comes to the higher numbers in the specific demographics as already previously listed up above (black people, college-educated people, and men, just to refresh your memory this way), more research needs to be done to figure this out and to also pinpoint why exactly it is that this happens in this sort of way!

While the study did not indicate which pets were best, let’s be honest, dogs definitely won! What do you think of this study? Does it need improvements or was it near-perfect to you? Let’s chat and as always…Woof, Woof!