by Mindy Hunter

Created on: November 01, 2008

Animals radiate a pure and unconditional love that is very important in the lives of their owners. At the end of a hard day, it is always comforting to come home to a wagging tail and excited bark. Pets play an integral part in the lives of their owners, no matter how old or young the person is. The importance of animal company does not end once a person is living in long-term care.

Residents in long-term care often do not have much contact with animals, and that loss is one of the most devastating. As an activity director at a long-term care I saw this first hand. One resident I worked with had his son bring his dogs to visit him every week; and every week as he watched his dogs leave the building he would sit at the window and cry. For another resident her main concern in having to live in long-term care was not the loss of her house and her independence, but that her cat could not come to live with her. From this obvious need residents have to be around animals, developed a new idea called the Eden Alternative. This is a belief that long-term cares should be filled with living plants, a place where children should come to visit and also a place filled with animals.

Animals provide a way for residents to interact physically with another living thing and have a comforting touch. This is especially important for residents with dementia. Often an animal will spark a memory and allow the resident to share stories they may not have any other time. As an activity director I incorporated animals into many of my activities because of the response the residents had to the topic. For example, one resident had very poor short-term memory and could not hold a conversation for more than a minute. Amazingly, if she was around a dog or heard a story about a dog she would share memories about a bull dog she had growing up. We once talked for over ten minutes about this childhood friend.

Although the residents could not have pets at the long-term care facility in which I worked, animals were incorporated in other ways. Families were encouraged to bring animals to visit and staff often brought their pets in too. One of the most beneficial animal programs in the building was a dog therapy and room visiting program. During therapy groups residents were asked to do various activities, such as brushing the dog's fur or giving the dog commands. These different tasks allowed residents to exercise their physical, emotional, cognitive and social abilities. These therapy dogs would also go room to room to do friendly visits. Some residents loved the dogs so much they even put pictures of them up in their rooms. One of the volunteers joked that the residents could always remember the dog's name, but never hers. This shows the profound impact animals can have on people in long term care.

As Martin Buber said "an animal's eyes have the power to speak a great language." The benefits provided to the residents through the language of the animals, shows in all aspects of their well-being, making animal contact an essential part of long-term care. Hopefully as our society continues to age and the population of older adults living in long-term care increases, these facilities will continue to find more ways to incorporate animals into the daily lives of the residents.

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