TodayPets are good for the heart
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Article RatingPets gladden the heart and soul.
It’s the lift that homes for the elderly are looking for when they invite pets to live among their residents. Green Ridge Village in Newville is the latest to pick up on the trend, bringing aboard two dogs and a cat.
The pets are still getting acclimated, going home with staff members at night. After a while, they will be expected to move in full time. But already, the critters are showing positive results.
“We’ve had residents who don’t normally make complete sentences, make complete sentences,” said Rhonda Snyder, activities director. “Ones with short-term memory loss are reminding staff that Casey (one of the dogs) is a girl.”
That fits in with what research is showing. Studies have found the introduction of a pet can lower blood pressure, reduce stress, decrease depression and improve a person’s frame of mind all around.
Green Ridge’s nursing home administrator, Michael Stuck, had an explanation for some of the effect.
“Animals, children and plants create a lot more interaction, a lot more things for people to converse about, and they bring back memories,” Stuck said.
This is basically a variant of that old salt that if you stop living, you start dying. Nursing homes are to be commended for taking such an important step for the quality of their residents’ lives. After all, it’s a bit of a risk. There’s the usual stuff with breaking in puppies. And the liability bugaboo is always lurking. But the risk is comparatively slight for the benefit.
It’s a lesson for any elderly person. Bring in a pet and bring in more life. And it doesn’t to be a dog or a cat. It could be a bird. They count, too.
And come to think of it, it’s a lesson across all the age groups. The State University of New York at Buffalo found pet ownership lowers blood pressure and stress for married couples of all ages. And, of course, pet ownership teaches kids responsibility and the arts of affection.
OK, before we get too carried away here, we must disclose that some scientists question these studies, saying that it is difficult to study this subject because of the many variables. Well, we say those scientists just need to get a dog.
Stuck, the Green Ridge administrator, had another thought on why the pets are an effective balm for his residents.
“If they take care of an animal, they feel like they have a purpose.”
We think it’s just like any other exercise for the heart — the more you use it, the better it feels.
