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Long Term and Continuing Care Association of Manitoba (LTCAM)

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Long Term and Continuing Care Association of Manitoba (LTCAM)

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When most people pet a cat or play with a dog, they relax and their heart feels a little warmer. Now, there is evidence that having pets around helps to keep seniors more healthy. The Humane Society of Canada (HSC) quotes a 1999 Australian study which estimated that Australian dogs and cats saved about $2.227 billion AUD or $1.82 billion CAD of health expenditure in Australia during 1994-95. According to HSC Executive Director Michael O'Sullivan, "Evidence suggests that people who live with animal companions receive numerous health benefits that are attributed to their relationships with their furred and feathered friends."

Click here to learn about St. John Ambulance's Therapy Dog Program.

Some of the health benefits:

people with pets are less likely to be lonely

people with pets visit the doctor less often and use less medication

people with pets recover more quickly from illness

people with pets, on average, have lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure

people who live with pets and who have suffered a heart attack survive longer than those who don't have a pet

Alzheimer's patients with pets have fewer anxious outbursts

exercising a pet can provide valuable exercise to the animal's guardian

people who are vulnerable to depression or anxiety suffer less if they live with a pet

How do pets do it?
There are many explanations for how pets accomplish all these health benefits. First of all, pets need walking, feeding, grooming, fresh water, and fresh kitty litter, and they encourage lots of playing and petting. All of these activities require some action from owners. Getting up to let a dog out a few times a day or brushing a cat, can be enough activity to benefit the cardiovascular system and help keep joints limber and flexible. Pets also provide physical contact and studies have shown that when people pet animals, their blood pressure, heart rate and temperature decrease.

A lot of benefits of pet ownership are less tangible, though. Pets are excellent companions. They can act as a support system for older people who don't have family or friends nearby. Another study showed that people with pets were better able to remain emotionally stable during crises than those without. However, the benefits can work both ways. Often, seniors choose to adopt older, calmer pets, the type that are usually more difficult to find homes for.

Pets in residence
Almost all of LTCAM's member sites welcome pets. In fact, a quick poll of the members turns up enough creatures for a small zoo. There are birds and reptiles, fish, many cats, and dogs of all sizes, from lap dogs to a St. Bernard. Organizations like the Winnipeg Humane Society and St. John Ambulance Pet Therapy Program also bring pets to member sites to give seniors a chance to pet and play with them. In the right circumstances, pets and seniors have a lot to offer each other.

Looking out for our friends
Most communities in Manitoba have animal shelters or humane societies. Humane societies are dedicated to protecting animals from suffering and to promoting their welfare and dignity. They are non-profit, volunteer-based organizations funded primarily by donations.

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long term & continuing care association of manitoba

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Pets and Seniors - Options for Seniors - LTCAM

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When most people pet a cat or play with a dog, they relax and their heart feels a little warmer. Now, there is evidence that having pets around helps to keep seniors more healthy.

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Challenges facing the field of HAI at an international level are numerous. For example, the numerous and various terminologies of Animal Assisted Intervention result in confusion. There is also a dearth of guidelines regarding those involved, especially concerning the animals.

Recognising the urgency to address the issues above, IAHAIO established an international task force in 2013 charged with the responsibility of clarifying and making recommendations on AAI terminologies and definitions and outlining ethical practices for the wellbeing of animals involved.

Those appointed to serve on the task force were academics, veterinary medicine professionals and practitioners from different countries with a background in, or special knowledge of different dimensions in the field of Human-Animal Interaction (HAI)

The recommendations of the task force are the result of a year of thorough, thoughtful and candid discussion. The IAHAIO Board reviewed all suggested revisions made by the majority of members at the 2014 AGM in Amsterdam and those that were unanimously supported by the Board have been included.

In 2018, the White Paper was updated to include a definition of animal-assisted coaching and the definition of the One Health and One Welfare approach in AAI. Translations in 15 different languages are being prepared.

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White Paper on Animal-Assisted Interventions | IAHAIO

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The IAHAIO Whitepaper IAHAIO is committed to working with practitioners to adopt best practice when delivering animal assisted interventions, to ensure the health and well-being of people and animals involved. The IAHAIO White Paper: Definitions for Animal Assisted Intervention and Guidelines for Wellness of Animals Involved was published in 2014, endorsed [...]

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4 The Quest for Innovation was published in Mao's Bestiary on page 99.

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This resource is licensed for your use by Ontario Tech Library. Off-campus access is restricted to members of the Ontario Tech community. Login with Ontario Tech Network Credentials

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Animal-assisted or Robot-assisted Interventions in Health Promotion for Elderly With Dementia - Full Text View - ClinicalTrials.gov

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Animal-assisted or Robot-assisted Interventions in Health Promotion for Elderly With Dementia - Full Text View.

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Animal-Assisted Therapy and Loneliness in Nursing Homes: Use of Robotic versus Living Dogs

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Loneliness is a common problem in long-term care facilities (LTCF) and previous work has shown that animal-assisted therapy (AAT) can to some degree r…