Elderly and pet therapy

Elderly people who increasingly experience a sad and demotivating life, such as that of a nursing home, are ideal referents for those prophylactic and therapeutic properties provided by pets, especially dogs and cats, giving rise to an intense interpersonal relationship. also due to the increased amount of time for new furry friends. Animals are therefore the operators that best manage to enhance the daily life of the elderly in different ways, often frail people with reduced prospects.

The disappearance of a family member or the departure of a child merely generate an abyss of solitude that can however be filled by the presence of a docile animal, such as a dog or a cat. The advanced age predisposes the subject to dimensions of resignation and spiritual drying up, privileged access routes for depression, apathy and loss of trust. When then from psychological suffering we pass to physical malaise, the problems become complicated. This is where pet therapy for the elderly can come to the rescue.

Through play and care, the animal reifies in a lifeline : the mere presence of the dog is able to fill most gaps. The situation, experienced by the elderly, of being relegated to a marginal position, is subverted by the commitment to look after a dog, just as in the past they looked after their children and grandchildren. Pet therapy for the elderly introduced in nursing homes has shown that some social parameters, such as interpersonal / inter-personal / intraspecific communication, are implemented considerably. Significant improvements are also achieved in relation to behavioral parameters such as, for example, curiosity, creativity, affection, calm, ability to observe and lucidity. It can be said that anxiety and depression are set aside with a backlash.

Pet therapy for the elderly

Pet therapy for the elderly works on some scientific and psychological mechanisms. Let's try to provide a list:

- Touch : stroking a dog or cat lowers and normalizes blood pressure. Tactile pleasure and physical contact allow the right formation of a psychological boundary, of one's identity, of one's Self and of one's existence;

- Voice : human-animal communication breaks the silence and drives away negative thoughts. The simplicity of the language, with its cadence and its repetitions, produces a reassuring effect in the speaker;

- Game : fun produces psychosomatic benefits, frees the accumulation of tension and energy, allowing a state of calm;

- Sociality : the presence of a dog, a cat or a rabbit is an opportunity for interaction with other subjects present. We talk, explain, tell each other;

- Responsibility : a dimension of duty and activity is reacquired, directly proportional to the possibilities of the elderly;

- Empathy : identification with the animal is often translated into relationships with other subjects present;

- Anthropomorphism : the elderly often live their condition of suffering with egocentrism, not going out, not listening to anyone. The attribution of some human characteristic to the animal sometimes works as a mechanism to focus its attention on the external world;

- Movement : sometimes, having a nearby animal, those who by now believe they can no longer do a certain movement, feel encouraged to move or stand up to pet it.