The benefits of dog and cat therapy programs for seniors

Dogs and cats are indeed reliable companions. Cats take time to convince, as cat owners know, but once you have their love, you have it forever, and dogs, well…you show a dog love once, you’ve got a best bud for life, and to us they’re indeed humanity’s best friend—both cats and dogs. As it turns out though, there are major benefits for seniors when it comes to our furry little friends.

When treated right and trained properly, any dog and no matter the breed, is indeed beneficial to your health as we’ve covered often enough. As it turns out though, for seniors, having dogs and even cats around is a massive benefit, and just may help stave off serious psychological issues that often come with age.

First and foremost, having a dog or cat helps the aging adult develop or rather keep a routine. The dogs and kittens need to eat and of course need exercise and play, and for the adult, remembering to provide the animal with these things is key to preventing cognitive regression.

Seniors with dogs and cats in their life benefit from these animals in a number of ways

The factor that doctors often overlook though (not all), is the emotional attachment a dog or cat might provide for an aging adult. Perhaps the senior’s children are far away, or the person in question does not have children…having an animal that shows he or she love is indeed tremendous.

But what if the aging senior cannot take care of a dog or cat? Well, there are great programs set up in which volunteers with trained animals visit with the seniors, and yeah, they bring their furry little buddies along, with tremendous benefits as it turns out.

In Cambridge, Ontario, the St. John Ambulance program has been set up for just this reason. It was started in 1992 Peterborough, Ontario, and has been in the aforementioned Cambridge for 25 years. According to a piece at kitchner.citynews.ca, the pandemic caused reason to train even more dogs for this specific purpose.

Heather Leong, who is the therapy dog coordinator for St. John Ambulance in Cambridge had the following to say:

"“I think everybody talks about the non-judgmental aspect of the dog. They really don’t care what your situation is, and are going to come and be with you and be physically next to you…Even just the warmth of their fur, you know how soft they are, and it’s just a creature looking at you and 100 per cent paying attention to you while you’re interacting with it, I could go on and on.”via City News (link above)"

Therapeutic Paws of Canada has also been an organization that has been doing similar work for 20 years and counting. They have over 500 volunteers that visit with senior citizens and those in need of such companionship with their adorable and loving animals—trained as well.

A piece published at Psychology Today, suggests the above is indeed beneficial for seniors, but it does come with challenges. One of the major issues at hand is senior homes that do not allow pets on the premises.

But Professor Marie-José Enders-Sleggers and Dr. Karin Hediger suggest that the benefits outweigh the issues, and there are ways around such limitations specified above. About the benefits they have said the following:

"“The ability to interact with animals should be preserved throughout the course of life for those who enjoy interacting with animals, whether through pet ownership or other forms of human–animal interaction.”via Psychology Today (link above)"

In the end, a bunch of good people and some furry companions doing great work to help the elderly…. A ‘feel good’ story if ever there was one. These days, the headlines aren’t always as fair, I’m afraid. Until the next one, dear readers.