Health benefits of keeping pets in aged care facilities

A recent study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health and led by researchers at the University of South Australia, explored a practical model of hosting companion animals in aged care facilities. It confirmed the health benefits of human-animal relations, ‘cannot be underestimated for residents in aged care’. The model included both foster animals and personal pets.

Study leader and co-author Janette Young, a lecturer in health sciences at UniSA, said it was morally imperative to provide older people in residential care with a supportive, healthy environment, and although many people had shared their domestic lives with other species, in residential aged care settings multi-species sharing was rare.

“Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Pets help us feel happier and healthier and they can do this in different ways: we take them for walks and play with them, so they help us stay active; we feed and care for them, so they give us purpose; but most importantly they’re always there to give us unconditional love and companionship,” she said.

The Foster Cat Project was a joint venture between an animal rescue service, an aged care facility and university researchers. It aimed to develop a practical working model of companion animals which could be replicated in other facilities in line with the Ottawa Charter action areas of creating health-promoting environments. The Charter is a global health milestone that identifies several key attributes deemed essential to wellbeing. They include peace, shelter, food, education, social justice, and sustainable resources.

The pilot program was disrupted by COVID-19 which limited access to aged care facilities, but Young said the pandemic had also presented an opportunity to gain reflective insights into the perceived barriers, enablers and tensions involved in seeking to implement pet animal inclusion in residential aged care.

“The effects of the pandemic have been felt around the globe, but the negative impact has been disproportionately great for those in residential care. As we edge into safer terrain, we can start to look at improving other aspects of aged care, and one of the most unrecognised issues of ageing is touch deprivation. Pets that are there to cuddle and pat can make all the difference to someone when they’re feeling sad or down,” she said.

The program involved two adult cats living among residents in a dedicated wing of an aged care facility, that were cared for by aselect group of trained staff and volunteers. By living with the residents, the cats helped ease residents’ loneliness, as well as relieve stress, anxiety and depression from being there to pat, talk to, care for and love – and provide that special sense of companionship.

“Positive ageing is not just about living a long life. It’s about ageing well, enjoying your older years, and having purpose and comfort in your life. Pets can provide this.”

To page 30 more frequent and severe with climate change. It showcases how cultural practices over millennia can be combined with cutting edge technology to advance science and support traditional management for conservation purposes,” he said.

The research involved counting and monitoring koalas using drones fitted with thermal cameras, and the collection of koala scats from the ground. These were analysed for hormone metabolite levels which could indicate stress.

Team supervisor Romane Cristescu, Director of Detection Dogs for Conservation, and a Research Fellow at UniSC, said Minjerribah’s koalas were genetically distinct and very healthy, and in contrast to mainland koalas showed little evidence of diseases such as chlamydia.

“After the 2019-2020 megafires showed the vulnerability of koalas living in fire-prone habitat, an obvious solution was to address the ways we manage fires to try to prevent them. This study is a first step to show that cultural burns have that potential,” she explained.

A second burn during August 2022 was successfully conducted with study and funding partner organisations WWF-Australia and the Queensland Department of Environment and Science.