How A Pet Can Help Your Loved One
In-home care can help assess if a pet would be beneficial for an aging senior.
Seniors are at great risk of social isolation, especially when they choose to age in place. This is when getting help around the home serves multiple purposes. They can hire in-home care services to help manage their time and homes and provide necessary interaction. All seniors need to be social, especially if their family members live further away.
Your senior loved one may also benefit from having a pet for various reasons. Before recommending adopting a pet, you will need to evaluate where your seniors are and how independent they are. If someone is relying on in-home care to do 90% of the household chores and day-to-day tasks, they may not be able to care for a pet.
On the other hand, if your loved one is still mostly independent and doing things on their own, they may truly benefit from having a smaller companion in their homes.
Pets Are Companions
The biggest reason why a senior may want a pet is because these little friends are, in fact, companions. Your elderly mom or dad may not have much family around, and they may need someone to talk to, even if that person can’t talk back in a traditional way.
Sometimes, just having something or someone in the home can make the world of a difference when someone is aging in place. In-home care providers can help a senior thrive, but a pet can provide the love they may feel like they are missing.
It is so important that seniors have a companion who will love them unconditionally, and that can be hard. Pets make it easier because all they can provide is unconditional love.
Your Senior Will Wake Up With Someone
It seems silly, but sometimes, it can feel like a gloomy day if you have no one to wake up to. Unfortunately, the longer a senior ages in place, the more people around them will start dying. This is a natural part of life.
They may be on their own, and it can be nice to wake up to a small dog or cat that is happy its owner is awake. When they are in a good routine together, it can also encourage the senior to get up and start moving around. This can be crucial for both the pet and the senior who is aging at home.
A Pet Is a Responsibility
This can be a pro or a con, depending on where your senior is at in life. A pet is a huge responsibility; it is a living being. A pet will need a good routine to be fed and play throughout the day. Your senior will need to be able to provide all of those things to keep the animal as healthy as possible.
Some seniors will love that, and others may be unable to provide everything a pet needs to thrive in their home. It is important you or an in-home care provider assess your loved one’s needs and what they are able to do on their own.
If you or someone you know needs help with In-Home Care in Rockford, MI, contact Gauthier Family Home Care. We provide quality and affordable home care services in our community. Call us at (616) 560-4057 for more information.
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