Britain is a nation of animal lovers, with dogs and cats heading up the lists of pets looked after and loved by people across the country. This is evidenced by the number of awareness days that have sprung up around pet ownership and animal care. This month alone, International Cat Day takes place on 8 August and National Dog Day on 26 August.
Caring for a pet has shown to offer several therapeutic benefits, including companionship, stress relief, and even physical health advantages, such as lower blood pressure and increased motivation to exercise. For many older and other vulnerable people, a move into residential care can mean giving up a much-loved pet. This can be distressing, even if a friend or family member is able to bring the pet in for regular visits.
Pet therapy
One way to enable your care home residents to enjoy being around an animal again is to introduce pet therapy into your setting. Having a cat, dog, rabbit or other furry friends come by for visits offers the best of both worlds. People can enjoy cuddling, petting and playing with a pet without having to worry about looking after them in the longer term. Physical contact with a cat, dog or other friendly creature has been shown to reduce anxiety, help alleviate symptoms of depression, increase motivation and combat loneliness.
Arranging pet therapy is made easier by using Care Vision’s care planning software. You can keep track of appointments and contacts made, make sure there are enough staff on rota to cope with the extra people (and animals) on site and support the residents in interacting with the pets. Allergies or phobias can be recorded in the personal records so that carers can ensure residents stay happy and safe at all times. Finally, recording how people react emotionally to visiting pets can help inform future care planning. If certain pets regulate anxiety, calm aggression, encourage social interaction etc., this can be built into therapy and support plans going forward.
Cats and dogs and more
The great thing about pet therapy is that it can be as varied as the people it supports. So long as there is provision in your area, you can choose which pets or animals to welcome into your care setting. A lot will depend on space and available resources. Cats and dogs can be accommodated more easily than horses, for example. Yet each type of pet therapy brings a raft of benefits, from companionship and social interaction to stress relief and prompting happy memories of family pets once owned and loved.
The best way to work out what type of pet therapy would suit your care home is to try out some different options and see what happens. If you use a registered, professional pet therapy charity or organisation, you can receive the support of trained people accompanying the animals, fully vetted pets with varying temperaments to suit your own community and the reassurance that the pets are well cared for and protected from overwork or harm. Another option could be having staff members or regular visitors who own pets to bring them in. However, this will need careful planning and assessment to make sure the animals are suitable for this purpose and will not become stressed or agitated with multiple people wanting to cuddle, feed or stroke them.
Pets and dementia care
Being able to access friendly, calm pets can help people living with dementia too. Holding or stroking an animal can trigger sensory responses that link to memories of childhood pets. The simple act of stroking a purring cat can regulate the heartbeat and calm people down who are feeling worried or unsure. Muscle memory around throwing a ball for a dog can remind people of past routines and encourage physical activity for the good of overall health. The Namaste Care programme for people with dementia that many care homes follow is centred around such interactions, bringing positive, loving connections through touch and person-led comfort and care. Finally, some pets can provide practical help for people with and without dementia. From trained assistance dogs that can detect health symptoms, guide visually impaired people and help people with hearing loss to pets that give people a reason to get up in the morning and a way to self-regulate through stroking sand holding them, animals really can bring a huge number of benefits to your care home residents and their families.
