Looking for a way to keep your older family member on this earth longer? Recent reports published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes say that owning a dog might be the way to do it.
Research Supports Getting a Dog for Lengthening Life
The lead author of the first report, Dr. Caroline Kramer from the University of Toronto in Canada, decided to delve into researching the effects of owning a dog after she noticed she her own behavior changing after adopting a dog.
The results of Kramer’s study showed:
In addition to the potential for getting more exercise, dogs have a lot of other benefits, perhaps for older adults in particular. For one thing, if your aging relative lives alone and has difficulty getting out of the house, having a dog offers them companionship and unconditional love. Plus, even if the older adult cannot take the dog for a walk on their own, even standing or sitting in the front yard with the dog could start conversations with passing neighbors because dogs just naturally draw attention.
Another benefit for an older adult is protection. Dogs have an excellent sense of hearing, so they can alert your aging relative to someone approaching the house. Some dogs have even been known to wake an owner up when there is a house fire and the smoke alarm doesn’t wake them. Even a small dog can offer some protection just by barking and alerting the owner.
If your older family member would like a dog but you’re concerned about their ability to care for it, a senior care provider can help. Senior care providers can assist with basic pet care, like feeding and watering the dog. Senior care providers can also help the older adult to take the dog for a walk, so both the dog and its owner get some exercise. Finally, a senior care provider can even drive the older adult and their dog to the veterinarian for checkups.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20191008/your-dog-might-just-extend-your-life#1
https://www.americanhumane.org/blog/benefits-of-owning-a-dog/
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN CHICAGO, IL FOR AN AGING LOVED ONE, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.
Research Supports Getting a Dog for Lengthening Life
The lead author of the first report, Dr. Caroline Kramer from the University of Toronto in Canada, decided to delve into researching the effects of owning a dog after she noticed she her own behavior changing after adopting a dog.
The results of Kramer’s study showed:
- Owning a dog reduces the chances of a premature death by 24 percent.
- In people with existing heart disease, owning a dog decreased the chances of dying after a heart attack by 65 percent.
- Those with heart disease lowered their risk of death from heart disease by 34 percent.
- Heart attack patients who lived alone but had a dog lowered their chance of death from heart disease by 33% (those who lived with another person reduced risk by 15 percent).
- Stroke survivors who had dogs reduced death risk by 27 percent if they lived alone and by 12 percent if they lived with someone.
- The researchers suspect that part of the reason for the reduction in death risk was because people with dogs tend to be more physically active. Kramer herself noticed that after getting her dog she walked much more than she used to.
In addition to the potential for getting more exercise, dogs have a lot of other benefits, perhaps for older adults in particular. For one thing, if your aging relative lives alone and has difficulty getting out of the house, having a dog offers them companionship and unconditional love. Plus, even if the older adult cannot take the dog for a walk on their own, even standing or sitting in the front yard with the dog could start conversations with passing neighbors because dogs just naturally draw attention.
Another benefit for an older adult is protection. Dogs have an excellent sense of hearing, so they can alert your aging relative to someone approaching the house. Some dogs have even been known to wake an owner up when there is a house fire and the smoke alarm doesn’t wake them. Even a small dog can offer some protection just by barking and alerting the owner.
If your older family member would like a dog but you’re concerned about their ability to care for it, a senior care provider can help. Senior care providers can assist with basic pet care, like feeding and watering the dog. Senior care providers can also help the older adult to take the dog for a walk, so both the dog and its owner get some exercise. Finally, a senior care provider can even drive the older adult and their dog to the veterinarian for checkups.
Sources
https://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/news/20191008/your-dog-might-just-extend-your-life#1
https://www.americanhumane.org/blog/benefits-of-owning-a-dog/
IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SENIOR CARE IN CHICAGO, IL FOR AN AGING LOVED ONE, PLEASE CONTACT THE CARING STAFF AT BRIGHTSTAR CARE CHICAGO. CALL TODAY: 312.382.8888.