At each of our Applewood Our House locations, the inclusion of pets into the daily lives of our residents, is very important to us. We have a house dog at each location and some of our caregiver staff also bring their dogs to work with them. Pets can really help our residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is an incurable form of dementia. It vastly decreases the mental capacity of senior citizens, who are affected by the illness. Alzheimer’s disease poses demanding challenges for patients and family members. It’s a degenerative brain disorder that usually affects people over the age of 65.
One of the major difficulties with Alzheimer’s disease is that patients often express anger, such as yelling, swearing and other forms of anxiety. However, just because senior citizens might experience such difficulty, that doesn’t mean that, they cannot control their emotions. One such way that they can control their emotions is by the use of pets.
Pet Therapy for Alzheimer’s Patients
Researchers have long known that pets can help calm seniors and other patients with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Although, pets are known for their ability as guide dogs, they have been used in hospitals and nursing homes throughout the world to help comfort and calm senior citizens.
Pet therapy for Alzheimer’s patients involves family members, friends, or usually a caregiver providing the pets, rather than the patient owning and caring for them. The amount of time that seniors with Alzheimer’s disease spend with pets can be adjusted depending on their mood and how good they get along with their pets.
Here are six astonishing effects of pet therapy for Alzheimer’s patients:
* Decrease Stress and Anxiety – Pets can alter the mood of seniors with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Pets, such as dogs and cats can quickly lower levels of stress. Pet therapy for Alzheimer’s patients begins by finding a suitable pet. There are organizations that specialize in finding compatible pets for seniors.
* Lowers Blood Pressure – Hypertension becomes more of a problem as many seniors get older. Pet companions help lower blood pressure by helping seniors with Alzheimer’s disease to relax. Lower blood pressure means that a senior is less likely to experience other health complications like heart disease and stroke.
* Early Stage Alzheimer’s Help – During the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, pets allow seniors to keep their regular routines, and it allows them to live a normal life. Therefore, pets should be utilized from the beginning.
* Medical Assistance – Dogs can be trained to deliver reminders to Alzheimer’s patients to take their medicine. They can also bark to remind seniors about their medicine, or they can nudge them and wake them up for their medication.
* Exercise – Dogs can be put on a leash and allow seniors with Alzheimer’s to take them for a walk in a designated area. This is not only relaxing, but it can help keep seniors in better shape by giving them some exercise. It is necessary to ensure that the types of dogs that are used are well behaved and that they are not too strong for seniors to control.
* Other Pet Benefits – Pet therapy for Alzheimer’s patients isn’t just about dogs and cats. There are other pets that offer benefits for seniors with Alzheimer’s and dementia, too. Birds allow senior’s with Alzheimer’s disease to watch their movements and listen to their sounds. If seniors live in a house or an apartment that has a window where they can place a bird feeder, the birds can always be viewed through the window. The continuous movements of aquarium fish also provide a calming and positive effect without any direct contact.
Pet Therapy for Alzheimer’s Patients – Conclusion
Pet therapy for Alzheimer’s patients is a low-cost way to provide comfort for seniors who are affected by the disease. It’s a powerful additional tool we use at Applewood Our House to use during the sometimes difficult journey for Alzheimer’s disease and dementia residents. Most residents have shown positive results with our house animals and they are a much loved part of our extended family.
Ask a senior caregiver professional at Applewood about a pet therapy for Alzheimer’s residents at any of our locations.
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