Service Dogs for the Elderly: 7 Benefits for Seniors Looking to Age in Place
Service dogs have traditionally been associated with people who have lifelong disabilities. However, seniors who meet certain criteria can also benefit from these useful companions.
Service dogs help people of all ages live more independent, autonomous lives. If you know a senior looking to “age in place” (stay home throughout their later years), a service dog may be just what they need. Here are some of the benefits for older adults.
1. A Sense of Security and Safety
Service dogs are highly skilled and trained to protect and find their handlers. This means if a senior with dementia or Alzheimer’s has gotten lost or wandered away, their service dog can help locate them. Service dogs can even detect household dangers like smoke and fire and alert seniors with cognitive difficulties.
These highly trained animals can also alert others if their handler is having a medical episode. They can detect seizures and other medical problems. They even sense heightened emotional states like panic attacks and night terrors.
Service dogs can guide their handlers through unfamiliar or hazardous places, reducing the risk of your loved one getting lost or hurt. Many seniors feel more secure knowing they have their service dog to help them out.
2. Greater Autonomy and Independence
Older adults often feel like their independence has been stripped away from them. Service dogs permit seniors to live more autonomous lives, protecting them from everyday hazards and helping them with certain tasks.
Some ways service dogs help with independence include:
- Providing medication reminders
- Picking up objects
- Fetching important items
- Guiding visually impaired seniors
- Alerting deaf seniors to changing circumstances
- Providing mental health support
- Intervening and alerting others during medical episodes
All of these functions ensure an elderly adult can safely age in place.
3. Emotional Support and Mental Health Boosts
Almost everyone loves having a furry friend around. While some service dogs have limits on the affection they can receive, emotional support animals don’t. Depending on your senior loved one’s needs, they may be able to get a therapeutic service dog for their mental health.
Having pets of any kind reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and loneliness. These problems are common in seniors, making an emotional support animal even more important for your loved one.
Psychiatric support dogs are trained to recognize symptoms of crisis. These can include panic attacks, traumatic flashbacks, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Having a support animal to intervene means your loved one can live independently and happily during their later years.
4. Help With Mobility and Navigation
Mobility problems don’t have to stop your senior loved one from aging in place. Trained service dogs can assist with daily tasks, like picking up fallen objects or fetching things for their handlers. These services are extremely valuable for elderly people who have trouble safely moving around.
Service dogs also guide their handlers through public and private places alike. If your loved one struggles with memory or cognition problems, a service dog can alleviate the challenges of everyday navigation.
5. Companionship
Whether a service dog can receive affection or not, they’re still a type of companion for your loved one. The senior years can be very lonely for many people. Having a service animal ensures there’s always another living being around to care for and provide companionship.
6. Less Invasive Medical and Lifestyle Interventions
With a service dog around, chances are your elderly loved one won’t have to move into a home or facility. If they struggle with a disability or medical condition of any kind, a service dog can provide less invasive help than some other interventions. This grants your loved one more autonomy and comfort in their everyday life.
Since a service dog can alert others to their handler’s medical status, your loved one will be more free to move about the world safely, without as many restrictions.
7. Motivation for Movement
Staying active is key to protecting a senior’s joints, tissues, and mobility in the long run. Having a service dog will encourage your loved one to take it out on walks and to parks, increasing their own physical activity in the process. Sometimes just getting some fresh air can do wonders for animals and humans.
Improving Seniors’ Quality of Life With Service Animals
Service animals provide a wealth of benefits to their handlers as well as to the handlers’ friends and family members. When it comes to aging in place with autonomy and freedom, service dogs are a very important tool. Older adults deserve the security and independence that service animals can bring to their lives.
If you or your family member is considering in-home care as part of a plan to age in place, contact Family Matters In-Home Care today for a free consultation. Our team is dedicated to supporting your family and helping older adults enjoy life in the comfort of their own home for as long as possible.
Some of the services offered by Family Matter In-Home Care include: Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care, Bed & Wheelchair Transfer Assistance, Companionship, Housekeeping & Meal Preparation, Personal Care, Recovery Care, and Transportation.
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area and Greater San Diego, Family Matter In-Home Care has offices throughout California.
