For many people, their love of animals has always been an integral part of who they are. Animals have brought them joy, companionship, love, and laughter, making their lives richer. If your elderly loved one is now in hospice care or receiving end-of-life care, having an animal come by for regular visits can help improve her days and provide the joy she’s always known from animals.
Four Benefits of Pet Therapy
Including animals in the care routine of those receiving hospice care has been around since people have had pets. While some hospitals have to have restrictions on the type of pets that visit patients, as well as when they are allowed to visit, if your loved one is at home and receiving hospice care, you can work with her hospice care providers to make sure she can see her pet any time she wants.
Pets provide many benefits to hospice care patients. Here are just four of the physical benefits a pet visit may provide.
- Pain Management. Spending time stroking a cat’s fur, rubbing a dog’s belly, or laughing at the antics of a bird, can all help patients forget about pain for a while and even have lasting effects after the animal is gone.
- Reduce blood pressure. Because being around a pet is often calming, it can help reduce high blood pressure in the person experiencing time with the pet.
- Reduce tension and sore muscles. If your loved one is anxious about her current health situation or any other life matters, a pet can help calm her nerves and reduce the tension that is built up in her muscles.
- Improve appetite. A loss of appetite often occurs when a person is struggling emotionally with current health changes. A visit from a beloved animal can boost spirits and help your loved one be more engaged with daily activities like eating, grooming, and interacting with those around her.
What Pets are Best?
If your loved one already has a pet, then her beloved animal is usually going to be the best for visits, or if she is receiving hospice care at home, the pet can even be with her for the majority of the day. You might need to enlist help with pet care needs such as walking if it’s a dog, or daily clean up and feeding for just about any other pet, but the benefits are worth it. Your loved one can have access to the benefits of having a pet nearby at all times, providing joy and companionship.
If your loved one doesn’t have a pet or there isn’t a family pet that can visit, but she’s always loved animals like dogs and cats, a hospice care provider can often make a referral for an organization that specializes in pet therapy animals. Those animals (usually dogs) are trained for hospice care visits. Their human companions know that the dog takes the center show and will introduce your loved one to the animal and let your loved one decide how close she wants to get to it. Some patients just want to look at the dog or give it a little pet. Others may enjoy a little more interaction. Whatever your loved one decides, a visit from a pet can help brighten any day.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Hospice Care in Youngsville, LA, please contact the caring staff at BrightCare Homecare today. Call (337) 279-5466
BrightCare Homecare is a top provider of home care services in Lafayette, Youngsville, Broussard, New Iberia, Breaux Bridge, Carencro, Opelousas, Sunset, Crowley, Abbeville, Scott, Cecilia, Port Barre, Lota, and the surrounding areas.
Through a personalized care plan, BrightCare Homecare provides the necessary services and care to cater to your unique personal and health needs. With us, we ensure around-the-clock services and supervision to help achieve optimum health and wellness.
We are a top provider of home care services in Lafayette, Youngsville, Broussard, New Iberia, Breaux Bridge, Carencro, Opelousas, Sunset, Crowley, Abbeville, Scott, Cecilia, Port Barre, Iota, and the surrounding areas.
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