A move into residential aged care is rarely easy, especially when it comes to deciding which personal belongings can or cannot be taken with you.
That choice becomes heartbreaking when it’s the family pet who has to be left behind.
According to research by the Companion Animal Network Australia (CANA), despite 86% of older adults experiencing improved mental and physical health with pets in aged care settings, only 18% of aged care facilities consider allowing residents to keep a companion animal.
CANA’s Status of Pets in Aged Care report also found that when it comes to older adults living at home, 91% of those with pets who receive a government-funded ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Care Package (HCP) do not receive support to help to care for their companion animal.
Trish Ennis, CANA’s chief executive, says, “While we’ve always recognised the benefits of owning a pet, our survey shows the Australian government and aged care providers have been slow to understand the enduring value of the human-animal bond for older people.”
Ms Ellis and her colleagues are calling for urgent action to keep older people and their pets together to ease loneliness and prevent unnecessary surrenders.
She says a host of studies demonstrate how pets offer myriad physical and mental health benefits for people, such as reducing stress, providing companionship, and encouraging social interactions and more.
“While we’ve always recognised the benefits of owning a pet, our survey shows the Australian government and aged care providers have been slow to understand the enduring value of the human-animal bond for older people.”
Through its Pet Friendly Aged Care division, CANA works to preserve the bond between people and their beloved pets by keeping them together for as long as it provides the best health outcome for the animal and their owner.
“There’s often catastrophic emotional harm caused when older people are forced to give up their pets upon moving into an aged care home, and resulting in their much-loved animals being surrendered to shelters across the country,” Ms Ennis says.
“People are putting their lives on the line when they refuse to move into aged care because they can’t bring their pet with them. If people were allowed to keep their pets, aged care take-up by older people will increase and the number of pets being surrendered to animal shelters will decrease.”
CANA is also seeking support for people receiving the ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Care Package (HCP) who want to continue living with their pets.
The survey reveals 61% of older adults live alone, and 74% of older adults with pets say their animals provide companionship and reduce loneliness.
While 40% of older adults who receive a HCP have pets, only 9% of these pet owners receive pet care support, such as walking their dog (64% need help) and taking their pet to the vet (62% need help).
Ms Ennis says, “Increasing the number of pet-friendly in-home aged care support will also help to prevent animals from being euthanised or surrendered to shelters and maximise the physical and emotional health of animal-loving older people.”
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