Taking care of an elderly loved one can be a lot of work. You need to make sure you are taking care of yourself or you won’t be able to properly take care of your elderly loved one. In the meantime, however, one of the things you can do to help care for your elderly loved one is to get them a therapy dog. Research has shown there are many benefits to therapy dogs and other therapy animals.
Reduced Blood Pressure
Therapy dogs have been shown to help reduce blood pressure in elderly citizens. The main reason for this is due to the relaxation people often feel when they spend time with their therapy dog. They feel the unconditional love and companionship from these types of dogs, as well. All of this combined, help the elderly adult to feel more at ease, with a result of lowering their blood pressure. If your elderly loved one experiences high blood pressure, a therapy dog may be able to help.
Sense of Calm and Relaxation
Do you find that your elderly loved one gets stressed out or anxious often? Are they finding themselves in a state of panic every now and again? If they are, you might find that getting them a therapy dog helps to relieve that stress, anxiety, and tension. By relieving these things, they can have more of a sense of calm and relaxation. This is because therapy dogs often help to release more endorphins in your loved one.
Less Pain
Many people who experience chronic pain are often in emotional distress, as well. Through much research and studies, it has been shown that therapy dogs can relieve some of the pain that elderly adults feel. These dogs help them to feel calmer, allowing them to breathe easier, reducing the tension in their bodies, and reducing the pain at the same time.
Faster Recovery Times
Research also shows that many senior citizens have to get surgery for a number of reasons. These surgeries take time to recover from. However, with that being said, therapy dogs have shown to improve the recovery times in these senior citizens. Being around a dog that can keep them occupied and love them unconditionally, gives them a sense of relaxation. This relaxation helps to quicken the recovery times from surgery.
These are some of the many benefits to getting a therapy dog for your elderly loved one. If they don’t already have a therapy dog or other therapy animal, it might be time to talk to them about getting one.
If you or an aging loved one needs Senior Care in Folsom, CA, remember Senior Home Care Services. Call us at (916) 514-7006 for more information.
Sources
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3236382
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22233395
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