Positive Aging With Four-legged Friends

[Boronia]

Good article about Positive Ageing in the Company of Animals project, which is designed and managed by Animal Welfare League Australia (AWLA). (pity the word ageing is incorrectly spelt)

http://www.abc.net.a...site=brisbane17 October, 2013 12:12PM AEST

Positive aging with four-legged friends

Di, Betty's daughter brings her two black Poodle-Bichon crosses to the nursing home each week as part of a pet therapy program. (Terri Begley - ABC )

By Emma Sykes and Terri Begley There's a therapeutic revolution underway in nursing and aged care homes across Queensland and treatment is being delivered by a new 'breed' of practitioners.

It's well understood that pets have a unique skill of making humans feel good. But nursing homes aren't the sort of places you'd expect a dog or a budgie to be welcomed.

Residents of the TriCare Nursing home at Jindalee in Brisbane's west are part of a bold program that is making provisions for pets in aged care accommodation to enrich the lives of their residents.

Facilities manager at the Paul McDonald says the residents have responded very well to having the fuzzy four-legged friends become part of their home.

"There's something about cute, furry animals that makes the body produce endorphins.

"It doesn't matter how cognitively impaired people are everyone has had a dog, or a chook or a guinea pig in their lives and I think it brings back those fond memories "

In just 12 months, Mr McDonald says the nursing home has built up quite a menagerie of pet therapists.

"We have three chickens (Mrs Pink and her two daughters) and [some] residents have their own pets" who live at the home according to Mr McDonald, "We try to get the [residents] to take some responsibility in caring for the pets."

The program began when Mr McDonald brought his two dogs Nora and Basil to work and noticed a positive change with the residents.

"There was a gentleman in particular who had never spoken, and the first time I brought the dogs in he beamed broadly and said 'puppy puppy puppy'!

"[Now] they're an integral part of the facility and I think we try to normalise things, to try and make it more like home," he says.

When we visit the home, Betty, a resident sits with two black Poodle-Bichon crosses on her lap smiling.

"It's nice to have something different around....I find it cheers you up. They'll sit on my lap if I want to nurse them," Betty says.

Diane Stanislow, Betty's daughter, brings around Daisy and Bruno once a week to visit.

"Mum seems to enjoy their company, and often other residents stop us as we're trying to get back to the car and have a cuddle.

"It seems to bring some joy to their time they can spend with them.

"I know a couple of the ladies here had to leave their dogs when they moved in, and that would break my heart," Diane says.

More than 20 Queensland retirement villages and aged care homes are part of the Positive Ageing in the Company of Animals project, which is designed and managed by Animal Welfare League Australia (AWLA).

Some managers of the successful pet-friendly facilities say pets contribute to community feeling, and encourage friendships between residents.

[Leah82]

I think this is a great idea, I know our dogs are constantly bringing a smile to my face.

My fiance's grandparents live in a retirement village, they're currently in a decent sized unit with a small courtyard, the residents who live in these units are allowed to bring their dogs when they move in but are not allowed to obtain a new pet once they are already living there. I've been told a few of the residents quietly replaced their beloved pets with lookalikes when they passed away.

Can't say I blame them :)

[mita]

Boronia, 'aging' is the American spelling. Other places, like UK & Australia, it's 'ageing'. So strictly speaking that 'ageing' is correct. But these days, because of all the interconnectedness, both forms tend to pop up in Australia.

Back to topic. That's a great article & it's so good to see pets being included in the lives of the elderly.

The Positive Ageing in the Company of Animals project has a website. Scroll down to list of ways we can all help:

http://www.awla.com.au/awla-in-action/campaigns/aged-care/

Edited October 21, 2013 by mita

[Cleveland]

I know here in SA there are quite a few nursing homes that have one or two pets that actually live there with the residents.

Lots have the traditional budgie and fish tank but we are starting to see more have animals that residents can interact with.

One has two cats that float around as they wish and are allowed to sleep on residents beds and visit whomever they want to at the time. Quite a few others have a single cat that lives on site.

One has a German Shepard that belongs to the manager that comes to work with her everyday to and visits but goes home with her at night.

Another has a rescue Jack Russel that lives there 24/7. It was funny we went there one time in the morning to pick someone up and as we got in the lift he ran in after us, apparently he has a set routine of visiting his 'favorites' that includes a few residents in the first floor first thing in the morning during breakfast time. He goes room to room visiting, but staff did say he wont visit everyone, and one lady has a habit of trying to hide him in her room or lock him in her ensuite so he cant leave, or dress him in her clothes lol. Staff say he avoids her room now. He is quite a character and its really nice to see him trotting up and down the hall way or sitting waiting for someone to use the lift so he can get in.

I love hearing stories about nursing homes acknowledging the benefits animals make for the emotional well being of their residents.