Dogs for senior citizens and ways they affect their lives
Reaching retirement can be a dull and lonely experience at times. Once your best days are behind you, there is not a whole lot to do. Sure, some people cannot wait for retirement so they can finally relax, but some see this as a dull venture. Nevertheless, it doesn’t have to be as such. Many elderly people manage to find new life after their retirement. One of the ways to do that is getting a pet, more precisely a dog.
Dogs can reinvent a person and invigorate your lives. Not a lot of people are actually aware about the healing effects that dogs have on a senior citizen’s life. This is particularly important if a person ends up alone or if you are in an assisted living situation. Getting a perfect dog will be a perfect way to spend your time and it will benefit you a lot. This does not mean that you need to get a bunch of Shiffon puppies, but a dog that suits your needs and personality.
Pets for elderly people are useful in so many ways. They are primarily viewed as companions for elderly people, but they offer so much more. There are certain studies which have shown changes with elderly people that have adopted a dog. Their personalities have changed and they even started feeling more active and healthier. So what are the actual benefits of dogs for elderly people? Here are some of the major factories and influences and we promise you that after reading this you will surely be getting a dog for your grandpa or grandma.
Companionship
Let’s start with the basics. What an elderly person needs the most is a companion. It gets pretty lonely when you are old and nobody should spend their last days alone. It gets even worse if an elderly person has lost their spouse. There is no substitute for that nor any remedy that can cure a situation like that. But there is a way which could work.
Getting a dog as a companion for an elderly person is a perfect solution. The dog cannot really talk to your grandpa or grandma, but it will be there to provide solid companionship. It is going to be a faithful companion in any way and will provide emotional support when needed. A lot of elderly people have started doing this and by all means it works. It is a perfect way to get a senior citizen cheered up and one that has proven to work.
Mental condition benefits
Like we said, it gets pretty lonely when you are old. And being lonely leads to some bad thoughts. Thoughts that can be harmful mentally to a person. So in order to increase your mental state you really have to do something in order not to get depressed or develop something even worse. This happens more often when you are older or lonely. So this is where a pet companion comes along.
It has been proven that dogs significantly increase a person’s health. Having a pooch around you will keep you happy and get your mind off things. You can concentrate on something much more easer to deal with than actually having to think about problems or loneliness. A dog is there to put a smile on your face and you will see just how happy your grandpa or grandma actually is.
Physical activity
What senior citizens lack mostly is physical activity? It is not easy to be as active as when you were young and most elderly people are bounded because of their age or their physical attributes. But the case is that senior citizens do need exercise and something doing just a little bit can be quite enough. But the lack of company can also mean the lack of will, so a puppy can be a perfect companion for that.
Owning a puppy for senior citizens means that they can go about and exert their energy more. They can go for a walk or simply play around with their dog. This could be just enough for them to get the exercise they greatly need. But you should make sure to get a puppy which matches your energy levels and not get an overly excited puppy that can be a handful for you.
Keep your mind sharp
Getting older does not only affect the body, it also greatly affects your mind. Sometimes the mind deteriorates faster than your body and it can get pretty sad when something like that happens. Nevertheless, there are ways to prevent that. You can train your mind the same way as you train your body. But you need a certain stimulant to do so.
In this case a perfect stimulant could be a dog. Dogs have proven to be really helpful when it comes to exercising your mind. They are there to give you a hand and will keep you alert an active. Sometimes even playing with them or talking to them is quite enough to keep you mind sharp. But the major factor is that just by caring for them you get much more activity in your mind that you would by watching TV for example.
Boosting one’s mood
Dogs can put a smile on anyone’s face. A loveable puppy prancing around is a great source of fun. It doesn’t matter how old you are, a dog can put a smile on your face anytime. They are there to keep their owners happy and they will do so at any chance. No matter how small or big the dog is, it works the same as their very presence is just enough to keep you happy.
An elderly person will feel the same. When you know that you have somebody who cars for you and who will do anything for you, you will probably feel safe and happy. If that somebody is a dog, which means that this dog will be a great source of fun for you that will give you all sorts of fun experiences. You will probably not get mad at a dog if it breaks something as you know that they did not do it on purpose, but for the sole purpose of keeping you entertained.
Heart Health
The American Health Organization has recently revealed a study that people who own pets, specifically dogs, have lesser chances of getting a heart condition. This is true by all means of account as a pet will keep you calm and will consequently lessen your nervousness levels.
Due to their age, elderly people are more prone to having heart problems. These individuals should take care of this and make not to get aggravated too often. But if you have a dog close to you, you don’t have to do so as you will be calm all the time due to the presence of your dog. Dogs will provide a calming effect on an elderly person so they don’t have to stress so often and avoid heart problems.
Therapy dogs
Elderly person sometimes need assistance for various things. In fact, they might have certain conditions that require them to have a helping hand all the time. If there is no way to hire a nurse or you can’t really live with your children, dogs have proven to be of great help. Therapy dogs are good with helping handicapped people and they can do so with elderly people.
If your grandfather or grandmother needs any help around the house due to the fact that they are physically not capable of doing something, you should consider getting a therapy dog. These dogs can perform really well when it comes to taking care of an elderly person. They are specifically trained to be of use. They are not a complete substitute for a human being, but they are there to provide enough.
Protection
One thing that a dog is really good at is protection. There are no words that can describe that dogs are natural protectors and that they have been kept for protecting property and people for years. It is also known that elderly people are not really good at protecting themselves and so do the robbers. The way to keep safe is a dog.
Next time when you think of a way of keeping your grandpa or grandma safe, think of getting a dog. They are natural protectors and they will make sure that the property and the person inside are safe. Senior citizens can sleep a lot safer when they know that they are being protected by a dog which keeps a close eye on the situation.
