Healthy relationships
Pets bring friendship, stimulation to older owners

The 82-year-old also remembers writing a letter home from a trip when she was a girl, hoping that Robbie would remember her when she returned. With her eyes sparkling, Mrs. Wilkerson will tell you that the dogs in her life have always been a source of comfort and friendship. She is also acutely aware of the other benefits her companion animals have provided in her later years, such as a chance to exercise and a sense of security. Medical research, however, is revealing other dividends for seniors who own pets.
A 1995 report published in the American Journal of Cardiology revealed that having a pet could have hidden health benefits. In this study, researchers followed more than 400 patients who were released from the hospital after having heart attacks. Pet owners were found to have a significantly higher one-year survival rate than non-pet owners, even after accounting for such other factors as the severity of heart disease.
Another large study published in an Australian medical journal in 1992 also found that having pets is "heart-healthy." When researchers compared cardiovascular-disease risk factors in more than 5,000 people, they discovered that pet owners had lower blood pressures and levels of triglycerides (a type of fat in the blood that's linked with heart disease) than non-pet owners. The authors concluded that pet owners have a lower risk for heart attack and heart disease than those without companion animals.
Many medical professionals have long been aware of the rewards of owning a pet. Dr. Edward Creagan, a Mayo Clinic oncologist who frequently speaks on the correlation between pets and well-being, said in a recent interview, "Pets provide unconditional love, companionship, connectedness - and for some, a purpose. There's a growing body of credible evidence that suggests that this is good medicine in many ways for what ails us."
Creagan cites dozens of studies that document the health benefits of owning a companion animal. Among the most recent was a report published in the March 1999 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Researchers found that senior citizens who own pets are more active than those without pets, and they are also less likely to experience depression - a common and serious mental illness in older adults. Several of the studies also found the following advantages of owning a pet, not just for the aged, but for everyone:
Pets provide companionship. There are few things more satisfying than the attention and affection of a good friend. Most everyone, but especially seniors, will say that pets are their friends. Many people talk to their pets and consider them members of the family. Those who have suffered the loss of a spouse and own a pet are less likely to experience deterioration in health following that stressful event.
Pets provide someone to care for. The small daily acts of caring for a pet, such as feeding and grooming, can create a sense of purpose. Having that sense of purpose can help fight loneliness, boredom and depression, especially in the elderly or socially isolated. Also, seniors who take good care of their pets tend to take better care of themselves.
Pets help people be more sociable. People out walking their dogs have a greater tendency to socialize with passersby; their pets give them security and provide a ready-made topic for conversation. Even among families and friends, pets provide a focus of conversation and activity.
Pets stimulate exercise. Pets promote vitality through active exercise, such as brisk walking and outdoor games, or therapy for disabled hands through regular grooming.
Pets comfort with touch. The gentle stroking of a pet can reduce stress and lower blood pressure, and when combined with quiet talk, create a feeling of relaxation, intimacy, and closeness.
What if you know an elderly person to whom you would like to give a pet? Do not surprise a senior with a pet until you have discussed it with them. Together you should consider the cost of pet ownership and whether the pet will fit in with the person's lifestyle. It is a good idea to discuss what might happen to the pet if the person moves into a nursing home or another facility that will not allow pets or if the person becomes unable to care for his companion. As a final act of kindness, many persons make allowances and plans for their pets in their wills so that they will not be left abandoned.
Having a pet can brighten the life of a senior because animals can give companionship and devotion without asking anything in return. These things we have known for years. Now it seems that pets not only make our lives richer, but also can provide significant health benefits.
FYI: According to Mary Kearby of the Wichita County Historical Archives, Judge Barwise, in a 1925 interview with the Times and Record News, made no mention of any pet dog. He did state, however, that his family brought along and were quite fond of a "Mexican sheep" and a pet antelope when they first settled in the area we now call Wichita Falls.
Eamon P. Riley is a certified master dog trainer and canine behavioral consultant. For questions or suggestions, he can be reached at 689-7247 or by email at dogmanusmc_@aol.com.