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Seniors and pets: the pros and cons
#1
This is a relevant issue when you think that many countries have aging populations. Pets are good for seniors. They are especially good for seniors living alone. They are beneficial for people with a form of cognitive impairment. The pets provides a much needed emotional connection. 
However, pets are a cause of falls for seniors. Many frail seniors have trouble caring for themselves. Caring for a pet is more than they can do. There are hygiene issues when a person can't change a litter box or walk a dog.

All of these statements are true. I am not sure the article examines all the options well.

https://www.google.com/url?rct=j&sa=t&ur...sUPLaAxqvQ


Pets are good for seniors! I do home care with some pretty frail people. They often have pets. The pee pads worked for a little dog I dealt with. I put down several at once and they do come scented. I change litter pans and clean up. I have even bathed a dog now and then.
It would be easy for a family member to come and help. They could take the pet to the vet and bring the needed food. 
We kept a lovely lady with Alzheimer's in her home with her pets for some time. A neighbour was paid a bit to come in daily and feed the cats and dog. I came in regularly and cleaned up any mess. 

Pets get blamed for falls, but more likely it is clutter in the home that has caused the fall. People have scatter rugs  and electrical cords and many things that are tipping hazards.  It would be better to clean up and get in practice walking carefully and watching out for the pet.

I think for every problem there is a solution and the benefits of pets far outweigh the difficulties.
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Catherine

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#2
Catherine, if anyone has experience of such matters, it is you! I totally agree with everything you have said.

Only one (sad) thing concerns me. There has been the occasional case of an elderly person dying at home and their lack of activity not being noticed by neighbours for days on end. When someone eventually raises the alarm and the house is entered (e.g. breaking a window or getting a spare key from a relative) some pets are in a very bad way after no food or drink for days. However, such cases are rare and on balance the benefits to the elderly outweigh the small risk.
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#3
The most difficult thing about this subject is if the person is alone and has no support network. It's okay if there is family, or trusted people who love the animal very much already, and will adopt/foster if the person dies or is admitted to hospital indefinitely.
But when there is a deep bond between animal and person, then the biggest nightmare in that person's mind is the thought of dying suddenly, and the RSPCA (for instance) being called in or an animal shelter....and perhaps to an animal who has been without food and water for days. I can imagine that horrible worry.
I always prayed that Misty would pass before me. Where she is now, she's okay. If I had died first, she would have suffered.

I had a Great Aunt (bless her! She was a nice lady) she rescued animals and always had cats and dogs. She was in her 70s when she went out one day to do grocery shopping, went into a cafe, and died. It took days to find out who she was and where she lived. Eventually someone went to her house and discovered a mother dog and weaned pup, and three semi-feral cats. They had been without food or care for days. All were taken amid a lot of trauma (the mother dog was howling apparently, and the pup was trying to escape by climbing the walls...) Goodness knows what the cats were going through. They were taken, stuffed into "crates" and put in the RSPCA centre where they were euthanised. Sending them to join her was probably the best answer, but they went through hell on the way.
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#4
Quote:Only one (sad) thing concerns me. There has been the occasional case of an elderly person dying at home and their lack of activity not being noticed by neighbours for days on end. When someone eventually raises the alarm and the house is entered (e.g. breaking a window or getting a spare key from a relative) some pets are in a very bad way after no food or drink for days. However, such cases are rare and on balance the benefits to the elderly outweigh the small risk.

As a society we need to be way more responsible towards the elderly amongst us. No one should ever go days without someone checking on them. Seniors need to cooperate with that too. Just a simple act of opening curtains and turning on lights lets people know you are alright. If your house stays dark someone should check. Letter carriers are usually alert to seniors who do not pick up their mail and alert someone.

There are volunteers in some places that will call a senior every day just to be sure they are alright. There are medic alert companies that monitor a home. The person wears an alert bracelet. Pushing a button on the bracelet will bring help. There is a transmitter in the home and the person presses a button on it each morning to let the company know everything is alright. 
Response is very quick. I have accidently triggered the alarm systems many times over the years. Smiley4 Some companies make a quick call or use the transmitter and the problem is solved. One company sent a security vehicle. I met him at the door with my ID and he showed me his and we had a laugh.

One should always carry personal identification when out of the house. At any age something could happen. If you have animals you should have something on you to tell people what to do. Or you could have instructions at home about who to call for the animals. I think some of the shelters will set up a plan for your animals if anything happens to you. If not one should have talked over things with friends and family and have someone who would at least take the animals in the emergency time period. If they rehome the animals latter it could be done calmly, but the animals would not be stressed out.

The whole issue is planning for possibilities. Families should work out ways to keep senior relatives safe and their pets as well. If there are no family then there needs to be friends and neighbours involved. The senior has a responsibility to be friendly to people and people need to just be aware of their elderly neighbours. 
One seniors' apartment  building has asked people to hang something outside the door when they go to bed and bring it in when they get up in the morning. It is a little thing, but the staff in the building can see at a glance down the hall that everyone is still alive. They had a death that no one noticed for days. 
Having meals delivered to a senior is good. If the person doesn't answer the door a check is made.

I could go on for pages, but I won't. You get the picture. A senior living at home with pets needs to do things so that the pets are not left in distress if anything happens. We need to be aware of who lives around us and check if anything is not right.
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Catherine

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#5
I just found a very relevant article.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/financial-ser...wner-dies/


Lots of people have been thinking about this issue.
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Catherine

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#6
I agree with every word you said Catherine. I always carried a note on me if ever I had to go out and leave Misty in the house, and I carry one now concerning Sally.

However, it's still a worry. I can just imagine how it would have felt for Misty for instance, if she had been crated and carried off to my local animal rescue (Bless them! They do their very best for animals in their care and are a no-kill facility.) But it would have been severely traumatic for her. She would probably have been easily re-adopted and might have got through it all without turning into one of those dogs who face into a corner in the Shelter and shiver, and won't respond to anyone. But she would have been well upset.
She didn't even like it when I left her in the garden and drove away just to park the car 100 yards down the lane! lol! She looked scared as heck.

I personally wouldn't want to risk that sudden kind of situation happening with someone I loved very much and who loved me and our home very much. An old person can live on until they are 100 able to do simple daily tasks, but they can die tomorrow or have a stroke which renders them unable to move. We never know.
It's only my own personal feeling, but I wouldn't want a beloved friend like that -a deeply loved family member to face an uncertain future. That is based only on my own particular way of thinking!
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#7
I agree. I hate to think of pets going through trauma because they have lost their person. It can happen. It would be best to have a commitment from someone to take the pet if anything happens. It isn't just death. People can end up in nursing homes and hospitals.

I took a couple of guinea pigs because the owner died. The husband needed to move and he took his rabbits with him. I took his wife's guinea pigs. We didn't have a previous arrangement, but I would never have turned him down.
Various sons, daughters, nieces and nephews have taken my clients pets when they had to be hospitalized. 

Usually someone takes the pet. I would think everyone would feel better if they knew who was going to do it. The person could build a bond with the pet ahead of time. They could even do trial visits to the future home. If the senior became to frail then the pet could live in the new home and do visits back. It has been done and it worked well enough.  

A senior who wants a pet and is afraid they might not outlive it could also become a foster parent for a rescue group. That way the pet would only be there temporarily before moving to a permanent home. It might not be as emotionally satisfying as having one's own pet, but it would be helping an animal in need.

There are solutions to every problem of pet ownership for people who are older. They do require working with other people to make sure all needs are met.
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Catherine

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