| The Mental Health Benefits That Come With Our Beloved Animals Dana Shavin - The Ethel Circle | |
| go to original August 26, 2022 |
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It’s no secret that companion animals are good for our mental health. Dogs can help with myriad challenges, from providing much needed companionship to acting as a catalyst for their owners to get more exercise — and meet other friendly dog owners — to helping persons struggling with depression and anxiety disorders. This is good news for the nearly 70 percent of Americans ages 50 to 59 who have pets, as well as for the 60 percent of those 60 to 69, and the 50 percent of those 70 and older.
“Research has shown that owning a pet provides an amazing array of health benefits,” says Jeremy Barron, M.D., medical director of the Beacham Center for Geriatric Medicine at Johns Hopkins. “Simply petting a dog lowers the stress hormone cortisol, while the social interaction between people and their dogs actually increases levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin” (the same hormone that bonds mothers to babies). Interacting with pets can lower our blood pressure and lead to better heart health, and those with pets report lower rates of loneliness.
Service animals — those specifically trained to help humans function independently — can perform many activities for sight- or mobility-impaired owners. These include opening doors, retrieving medication or water, warning of obstacles in their owner’s path, and alerting other people that their owner is in distress. Some animals are even trained to detect cancer or warn of an impending anxiety attack, cardiac event or seizure.
Therapy animals — usually dogs — also receive special training but their main function is to be a source of comfort and to spread happiness. You might see them in schools, retirement and nursing homes, or hospitals, and they are only cleared to go into these environments once they have been through manners and obedience training.
Animal assisted therapy (AAT), in which a specially trained animal is brought in as part of a team that might include registered nurses, nursing assistants, or occupational therapists, has also been shown to be beneficial to individuals with dementia. Among other benefits, it can help improve short-term memory and communication skills.
Emotional support animals, on the other hand, need no specialized training. Dogs and cats are obvious choices, but people also find calming company in rabbits, birds, reptiles, llamas and ponies. These animals are most helpful for people with a variety of anxiety disorders, but they can also be of comfort to people undergoing stressful events.
Read the rest at The Ethel Circle
Related: Pet Ownership May Delay Cognitive Decline in Older Adults (AARP)
Related: It’s Time for All of Us to Admit That Our Love for Animals Is Selective (Mexico News Daily)
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