PAC says: Growing old together. Companion animals and the elderly.

There has been a strong association between man and animals for many thousands of years and many people feel that pets are a beneficial part of their lives. This is particularly true of the older sector of the community a group who often experience multiple losses where there may be a combination of psychological, medical and social benefits.

It is often reported that elderly people are more likely to suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation than other groups of the population. Such feelings can be accentuated by the loss of a partner or close friend. Benefits to elderly people that have been attributed to the human-companion animal bond include: increased feeling of meaning and value of life, decreased loneliness and isolation; reduced feelings of loss following death of a spouse, particularly when they live alone or are disabled (Cornell and Lago 1984, Tolliver 1984).

Pets are increasingly being utilised to aid long-stay patients in homes, hospitals and hospices either as resident animals or in the form of regular visitors. Although not a substitute for human contact, a pet can also act as a topic of conversation between elderly people and other members of their community and can therefore increase the quantity of interpersonal social contact.