Choosing The Right Pet For Seniors

According to research, caring for a pet has a therapeutic effect on senior citizens. A pet provides companionship, helps people to relax, assists with lowering blood pressure and even assists with exercising. According to Dr. Jay P. Granat, a New Jersey-based psychotherapist, pets “don’t worry about tomorrow, which can be a very scary concept for an older person. An animal embodies that sense of here and now, and it tends to rub off on people.”

Psychologist Penny B. Donnenfeld even witnessed animals’ ability to prompt better memory recall in their elderly owners. “I’ve seen those with memory loss interact with an animal and regain access to memories from long ago.”

Choosing the right pet for the older person depends on the person’s preferences, health, and mobility capabilities.

If the person is still able to take daily strolls outside the home, a dog may be the best choice. Smaller dogs like the Pug, Chihuahua, and Yorkshire Terrier are the breeds to choose from. They need their daily walks outside but are lapdogs and prepared to stay in-house for most of the day. The elderly person and the dog keep each other company, and both get their daily exercise during walks outside.

Other aspects to consider when choosing a dog as a pet include:

• The energy level of the dog. If the person is not in a position to take long walks anymore, a dog content with a few short walks a day will be ideal. Small dogs who can stay in the house without walks for a day or two will be even better.

• Some breeds need to be groomed often, and the owner’s house has to be equipped to bathe, trim, and clip the dog regularly, or the dog has to be taken to a groomer quite often.

• Older dogs who are already housetrained are better adopted by a senior citizen.

Many senior people love larger breeds, but as a person gets older, caring for a large dog becomes more difficult.

For somebody unable to walk a lot but still wants a pet companion to cuddle and hold, a cat may be the answer. Cats are not very demanding and are housebound. They are happy living their entire lives indoors. As they can be trained to use litter boxes, the elderly person does not have to worry about bending down and scoop poop outside.

Birds like canaries, budgies, or parrots are ideal pets for elderly people who need companionship but for safety reasons have to keep their pet in an enclosed area like a cage.

In conclusion: Although it is accepted that caring for a pet is good for a senior citizen, the best type of pet depends on many considerations.