3 Ways Senior Home Care Helps Seniors With Pets
Having pets has been proven to have significant health benefits, especially for seniors. Pets provide companionship and love. Having a pet can lower the risk of developing some serious medical conditions and it can help manage the symptoms of depression. Having a dog is a fantastic way to get seniors motivated to go for walks and get healthy exercise every day. Love may not cure illness, but it does help provide purpose for seniors who are lacking one. However, many seniors don’t have a pet because they are worried about how they would care for it if they become ill or fall. If they don’t drive they may worry about getting to the pet to the vet or lugging home bags of food or heavy containers of litter.
Senior home care is the answer for seniors who want pets but worry about the work involved in caring for them. Home care providers can help seniors order pet food and supplies and have it delivered to their door so that shopping for the pet isn’t an issue. A senior home care provider can do the things that your senior loved one can’t do for their pet like:
Regular Feeding
Senior Home Care Highland Park, IL: Seniors and Pets
Seniors who have low vision may not be able to measure their pet’s food properly resulting in the pet getting too much food or too little. Seniors who have tremors or Parkinson’s or arthritis may find it difficult to make sure that the pet has plenty of fresh clean water each day. Home care providers can feed the pet each day and makes sure that their water bowl or water fountain is full so that your senior parent won’t worry about their pet’s needs being met. A home care provider can also keep track of when the pet food or litter is getting low and make sure that more is ordered so that the food or litter doesn’t run out.
Regular Walks
Ideally it would be the senior taking their dog for a walk but sometimes that’s just not possible. Whenever your senior loved one just isn’t up to a daily walk the elder care provider can take the dog for a walk and make sure it gets the exercise it needs. If your loved one wants to go walk the dog but is worried about the dog pulling on the leash or knocking them over then a senior care provider can hold the leash and control the dog and your senior loved one can just enjoy the walk.
Vet Care
If your senior loved one no longer drives, or if they can’t physically get the pet into the car and take it to the vet a home care assistance provider can help make sure that the pet gets any vet care that it needs including regular checkups and vaccinations. Pets should also get regular nail trims so that they don’t accidentally scratch your senior loved one. As people get older their skin because less able to withstand scratches and lacerations so it’s a good idea to keep the pet’s nails tidy so they don’t injure your senior loved one.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Senior Home Care in Highland Park, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 943-3786. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette and the surrounding areas.
Source:
https://www.petsfortheelderly.org/our-work/research.php
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