Every dog owner knows that dogs bring joy and happiness to almost everyone they meet. That’s why they make such great pets.
It’s also the reason why dogs are one of the best therapy animals. They’re ideal for helping people to feel better and spreading smiles.
At the Alliance Of Therapy Dogs, we work hard to provide vulnerable individuals in care homes, hospitals, schools, prisons, and other facilities with access to friendly dogs who will boost their mood. We’ve been doing this work for more than 3 decades, and we understand how essential our dogs are to everyone we visit.
We also know that each group of people we support receives many benefits when interacting with our certified therapy dogs.
For seniors, many of whom have felt isolated and frightened during the recent Coronavirus pandemic, visits from our volunteers and their dogs can make a massive difference.
If you’re interested in finding out more about how dogs can help seniors, then keep reading. We’ll share some of the main ways that dogs can benefit seniors, whether they’re therapy dogs or family pets.
Dogs Motivate Seniors
As we get older, we often lose energy and motivation. As a result, some seniors might find it difficult to motivate themselves to get up, get dressed, and generally be as active as they want to be, but dogs can help them overcome this.
Seniors who own dogs know that they need to get up to take care of their pups and keep them healthy and happy.
However, not everyone can own a dog so, therapy dogs can be an excellent alternative. A therapy dog visit can help seniors get motivated and make them feel more energized and ready to face the world. That’s because they know that they need to get up and dressed and be ready to meet with their furry visitor.
Visits from a therapy dog can give seniors something to look forward to, which is particularly important today. After all, many seniors might not get the visits from family and loved ones as frequently as they would like.
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, the volunteers at the Alliance Of Therapy Dogs have worked hard to continue visiting facilities even though they could not go into the facility itself.
We’ve taken safety steps to ensure that our members and the people they visit are safe. Therapy Dogs are more important than ever before thanks to the pandemic, so we’ve worked hard to continue to offer the visits that seniors and others need.
Lonely Seniors Feel Less Alone Thanks To Dogs
Lonely seniors can feel less alone with a dog. If they have their own pet, then they have constant companionship, even when friends and family can’t visit.
Owning a dog can help seniors socialize outside of their homes, too; as we’ll discuss later, dogs are a great conversation starter!
Seniors living in care homes struggle with loneliness, too, particularly when due to the Corona Virus, they’re not allowed visitors. They might not have access to a pup, which is where we come in and help.
Keeping a dog takes a lot of time and effort, which is why many residential care homes partner with us. We send our trained and certified therapy dogs to these facilities and give the residents the chance to have a cuddle.
Petting and cuddling a dog can release dopamine and oxytocin, which are endorphins that make people feel happier. As such, hugging a dog can provide physical comfort for seniors who are feeling alone and sad.
Dogs Encourage Social Interaction Between Humans Too
Dogs don’t just help seniors interact with four-legged friends; they can also help them make human connections. Many people want to see our dogs, and love to chat about their furry friends.
When we take our therapy dogs to senior centers and care homes, they become the center of attention. This encourages interaction with the dog handler, their caregivers, and those around them.
As a result, they get a lot more human stimulation and might make new friends. Dogs are a great way to bring people together, as they’re a shared interest for many individuals.
Many seniors in care homes owned a dog in the past and bond over their shared love of pets. Our therapy dogs can be the catalyst that pulls two people together and creates lasting friendships.
By promoting more significant contact with other people, dogs help seniors who struggle to socialize to have fun and make new friends. All of this helps to further combat loneliness and make them feel better, despite the challenging times we all face.
Consider Helping The Alliance Of Therapy Dogs Today
As mentioned previously, the Alliance Of Therapy Dogs is deeply committed to helping various facilities and bringing joy and happiness to as many people as possible.
Our vital work wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of our dedicated members with their special dogs, and other supporters. If you want to give back to your local community in 2021, helping us could help you bring joy to seniors and others.
If you’re unsure about joining us or want to find out more about the crucial work we do, please feel free to contact us.
You can all 307-432-0272 or email office@therapydogs.com to speak to a member of our team, who will be happy to give you more information.
To stay up to date with the latest developments and learn more about how to keep your dog healthy and happy, we also offer a regularly updated blog.
With all of this information at your fingertips and access to our wealth of experience providing therapy dogs, you’ll learn everything you need to know about helping seniors and others when you collaborate with us. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting your pup!
