Pet therapy, often alternatively referred to as animal therapy, is one of the newest forms of therapy to receive the well-deserved celebration and research funding that it deserved from the beginning.

Contrary to popular belief, although dogs are often introduced as the animals that can provide the most to help people, many other types of animals can have the same positive and inspiring impact. Here’s pet therapy for older adults: a 101.

What Actually is Pet Therapy?

Essentially, pet therapy is the guided, yet fully relaxed, interaction between someone who is living with an ongoing health issue or is suffering with a period of low mental health and a specially chosen, gentle animal that usually takes place inside a care home, senior living community or therapist’s clinic.

The well-respected Morris nursing home in Shrewsbury is dedicated to doing everything within their remit to ensure that each and every one of their residents utilize every available opportunity to socialize with not only their fellow residents, but with animal-assisted therapy, too.

The Impressive Benefits to Pet Therapy

Even if you’re not what you would call an animal lover, it would still be hard to deny the intrinsic bond and natural connection between humans and animals, and the more you invest in such a connection, the more benefits you’ll receive.

For example, someone who works from home and has free-roaming house bunnies will build a deep bond with their rabbits and be able to train them to understand certain words and even to play games, whereas bunnies left alone in a too-small cage will be depressed and therefore, have no interest in such a bond.

There are numerous outstanding benefits to engaging with animal therapy for older adults and the elderly, including:

• A reduction in feelings of isolation and loneliness.
• Higher self-esteem.
• A reduction in feelings of stress and anxiety.
• An improved overall outlook on life.
• Increased joint movement and motor skills.

Who Else Could Benefit?

Even though animal-assisted therapy is usually most effective for older adults, there are other groups of people who, when engaging with animals in this way, can benefit immeasurably.

Believe it or not, in some cases, people who are preparing to have surgery and are feeling particularly anxious can show a substantial decrease in tension and worry if there’s an animal present in the room, and moreover, after an operation, numerous reports show that rehabilitation around animals speeds up the recovery process.

In addition, those who are undergoing treatment for cancer and having radiotherapy and chemotherapy can also find pet therapy useful, as can army veterans who are suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder, those who have suffered from a stroke, and people who have been hospitalized with diagnosed chronic heart issues.

Finally, animal-assisted therapy can also greatly benefit those who are living with a mental health disorder, such as MDD (Major Depressive Disorder), with many people in this situation turning to private healthcare services who bring dogs, cats, rabbits, and even horses to their home.