Health Benefits of Pet Ownership Among Elderly

Pets Can Help Alleviate Stress, Loneliness and Anxiety

Jun 4, 2009

A small but growing body of research indicates that pet ownership among the elderly is both physically and psychologically beneficial.

According to the e-newsletter, “Healthy Pets Healthy People,” of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pets can decrease your:

“Pets reduce stress,” says Kristen L. Nelson, D.V.M., who’s been practicing veterinary medicine for twenty years. “Pets provide both physical and psychological benefits to their owners. Studies show that people who own pets have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and lower blood pressure as well.”

Research Supports Benefits of Pet Ownership

One study in particular looked at the incidence of senior use of healthcare services, based on pet ownership and non-pet ownership. Study findings were presented at the 8th International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions by P. Raina, Ph.D. and Waltham Fellow, Health Care & Epidemiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; and B. Bonnett Ph.D. and D. Waltner-Toews, Ph.D., Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada.

Looking at a sample of seniors living at home over the course of one year, researchers found that all who owned a pet had, on average, 30 uses of healthcare services, compared to 37 uses of healthcare services of the non-pet owners. The pet owners’ healthcare average cost was also lower ($530) than the non-pet owners’ average cost ($694). In addition, the average length of hospital stays among pet owners was eight days, while non-pet owners’ hospital stays were 13 days. However, the number of hospital stays was not significantly different among pet owners and non-pet owners.

Pets Can Also Benefit Alzheimer’s Patients

In another study of Alzheimer’s patients, reported by Mara M. Baun, D.N.Sc., FAAN, of the University of Texas-Houston School of Nursing, the use of a therapy dog resulted in “increased socialization, improved social behaviors, and decreased agitation” among study participants. Not only did problem behaviors decrease over the course of the four-week study, Alzheimer’s patients who were living at home displayed less verbal aggression and fewer mood disorders when they had regular contact with a companion animal, according to Baun.

On web sites of the National Institutes of Health (www.nih.gov), and The Delta Society (www.deltasociety.org), research studies describe positive outcomes and benefits to the elderly when companion animals are part of their lives.

In “Pets and the Health of Older People,” a presentation given by June McNicholas, B.Sc., Ph.D. and Glyn M. Collis, B.Sc., Ph.D. of the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, United Kingdom, to the 10th International Conference on Human-Animal Interactions, measures of self-esteem, loneliness, stress and anxiety were taken as part of a study of pet owners and non-pet owners.

The participants in the study were nine men and 21 women, all over 60 years old. Two of the men lived alone, and eight of the women lived alone. Eighteen participants were pet owners (13 dog owners and 5 cat owners), while 12 participants had no pets.

The non-pet owners reported the highest incidence of physical health problems overall. The men who had no pets reported over 20 percent more physical health problems, compared to the men who had pets, reporting the lowest incidence of physical symptoms.

Psychological symptoms showed a similar result. Men who owned pets reported the lowest incidence of psychological symptoms such as stress and anxiety, while men who did not own pets reported the highest.

McNicholas and Collis reported no significant differences between pet owners and non-pet owners among the women.

Cats Or Dogs – Same Benefit?

It’s interesting to note that when the type of pet was studied, cat owners were found to report fewer physical and psychological problems, and reported higher self-esteem and feelings of well-being. Cat owners did, however, report more feelings of loneliness. Dog owners, on the other hand, were found to feel less lonely, possibly because of social opportunities that dogs can provide, according to McNicholas and Collis.

The copyright of the article Health Benefits of Pet Ownership Among Elderly in Seniors' Health/Medicare is owned by Kelly Conrad. Permission to republish Health Benefits of Pet Ownership Among Elderly in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.