The Pets of our clients at Trinity Homecare
Pets of our clients at Trinity are as much a part of the family as the client themselves. Staying in your own home when getting support is one of the most preferred methods over moving into a care home. One of the biggest benefits of staying at home, is the opportunity to keep any existing, or to get a pet
At trinity we find that many of our elderly clients enjoy time with their pet. It is a real boost to their mental health wellbeing no matter the type of support in place.
What are the benefits of having pets?
There are many benefits to having a pet depending what type of pet you have. Company and attention are often one of the biggest benefits. That point when you can cuddle up with your pet and share in that mutual moment and give and receive the unconditional love and the bond that you both share.
Exercise is most often linked with having a dog. Dogs of all shapes and sizes need some level of exercise, often in the form of a walk. You can also play games with them, so it’s not just about going for walks.
Other animals that don’t need walking, still need some form of care. Feedings, grooming and cleaning up after them or where they live or sleep. This means the owner must be active to some level, and it keeps that elderly person moving and thinking.
A reason for continued daily routines.
Throughout life we have our ups and downs. Work, children, and other responsibilities give us a reason to get up each day when often we would rather not get out of bed and just have that much needed lazy day. But when you become more elderly, these reasons often pass, just because that’s how life works.
Having to get up for work each day, or to get the kids to school can be a great motivation to get up, but becoming elderly things change and to some degree, we often find ourselves having less responsibilities.
A pet not only needs your love and attention, but they need feeding or given the chance to go to the toilet. This means that with a pet, you often must get up and take responsibility for their needs and wellbeing, so you don’t have to clean up after any accidents that may occur if you just stay in bed.
About this series of articles based on pets of Trinity clients.
We will bring to you the stories of our elderly clients and the lives they live with a pet in the home. There will likely be mentions of ups and downs as that it a big part of life. What we do know is, every pet enriches their owner’s life and has a huge impact on their mental health.
It can often be a nice thing for the carer as well. Bonds can often be formed between the carer and the pet further enriching other people’s lives as well as the pets’ and the owner. Pets need love and affection, and having a live-in carer often opens up the circumstances and opportunities for love and attention as well as care for these animals.
There is also the situation, where the elderly client may not be able to care as much or do as much as they want or normally would for the pet. The carer being able to support the client can also create an additional bond between the carer and the client.
For many of us, a pet is another member of the family. They bring the randomness back to life that children and work often offer on a day-to-day basis. Both sides of the relationship rely on each other in different ways, but it is often, the mental wellbeing that is most apparent from owner and pet, where the real benefits are seen from being in each other’s life.
