Surveyed Attitudes of the Elderly Regarding the Benefits of Pets:
• Talk to their pet 95%
• Pet helps when they feel sad 82%
• Pet helps when they physically feel bad 71%
• Touching their pet makes them feel better 65%
• Confides in their pet 57%
...Conclusion: Pets are an integral component of the social support network for many individuals and therefore probably contribute to public health and well-being." 
"Our Pets, Our Health,"
Pet Information Bureau, 1987
"...Another study of coronary disease patients by Drs.
Aaron Katcher and Erika Friedmann indicates that
animal companionship is conducive to a higher survival
rate. In a study of patients who had suffered heart
attacks, the mortality rate among people with pets was
one third that of patients without animal companionship.
Further research indicates that having a pet decreases
the heart attack mortality rate by about 3 percent. Since
approximately one million people die of heart disease
each year, animal companionship may save 30,000 lives annually."
"Animal Overpopulation,"
Virginia Beach SPCA
"Euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals by animal shelters is the number one cause of death for both dogs and cats in this country. In South Hampton
Roads (Virginia) alone, 35,000 animals are euthanized each year. Imagine being the Virginia Beach SPCA kennel technician, who must tend to and care for the animals, and then euthanize an average of eight of them a day."
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The Lake Veterinary Hospitals
November, 1997, Newsletter
"A year after an acute heart attack, dog owners are
significantly less likely to have died than non dog
owners...Studies also show that pet owners:
• Visit their GPs less often and use less medicine
• Recover faster from surgery and illness
• Deal better with stressful situations
• Are less likely to feel lonely
...Pets provide routine...they also provide responsibility...
even the physical contact is good for us. We all need something to touch - it's soothing and calming...they don't judge us - their love is unconditional.
A recent study found that the presence of pets in most Australian households leads to annual health savings of between $790 million and $1.5 billion, based on the fact that pet owners visit their GPs less often and have better health than non pet owners."
"A Year of Health Hints —
365 Practical Ways to Feel Better and Live Longer,"
1998, by Don R. Powell, American Institute for Preventive Medicine.
"Pets brighten the lives of those who are anxious, lonely
or depressed because they:
1. give a person something to nurture and care for
2. offer a sense of being wanted and needed
3. offer non-judgmental acceptance
4. decrease feelings of isolation
5. provide a feeling of safety for those living alone
People-oriented pets like dogs cats and dogs bring
families closer together and help reduce household
tension. Studies show that families with pets spend
more time playing with the pet and have fewer family
arguments."
National Health Call Center, 1998
"What would you do if your primary healthcare provider
told you that there was an effective treatment for many
older adults that:
• reduced stress
• helped them deal with grief and loss
• kept them more active
• made depression less likely
• sometimes helped them live longer
• made them less vulnerable to suicide
• increased their feelings of personal security
...Well, the treatment is available, and you do not even need a prescription. The treatment is pet ownership."
"Stress Relief,"
CapeCodPet.Net
"Chairman of the Society of Companion Animal Studies
(SCAS), Mary Whyam, said 'For a lot of people, having
a pet means they feel less lonely and therefore less
socially isolated. This is particularly true for elderly
people living on their own who are less mobile. To them,
a pet is a great companion, giving them unconditional
love and friendship that they would otherwise miss
through reduced social contact."
The Baker Medical Research Institute, the largest
cardiac center in Australia, surveyed 5,741 people who
came to the center for a cardiovascular evaluation. Dr. Warwick Anderson, Ph.D., and a team of medical researchers studied their subjects' diet, exercise habits, smoking, blood pressure - and even took blood samples. Their findings: "Pet owners had significantly reduced levels of known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This was not explicable on the basis of smoking, exercise, weight or socioeconomic status. The effect was independent on the type of pet owned."
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"She Needed Me," Kathy Susany, Tail-O-Gram,
September/October, 1996
"When I come home after a long and tiring day, she is there to greet me and show her love. When I am sick or in pain, she lies next to me and gives me comfort. When people cut me down or make me angry, she pours out a wealth and abundance of genuine love. 'Give me a home' she seems to say, 'and I'll be there for
you to the end.'...If I had made her myself, I couldn't have
created a better kitty. She has given me more love and
companionship than I will ever be able to give back, but
she doesn't care about getting backwhat she gives. She
just wants to be cared for and loved."
In 1999, researchers at the State University of New
York at Buffalo, studying 48 stockbrokers already taking
a medication called Lycinprol for hypertension, found
that those who obtained a pet reduced by half the
increase in blood pressure that came with stress.
"Companion Animals and Elderly People" from feature article "The Healthy Pleasure
of Their Company: Companion Animals and Human Health," Karen Allen, School of
Medicine, State University of New York at Buffalo
"...Another community-based study looked at home environments of elderly people with and without dogs. In this cross-sectional, observational study, it was found that dog owners walked significantly more than non-owners. In addition, increased walking was associated with significantly lower serum triglycerides among elderly pet owners. The authors of this study are social services professionals and suggest that, in the context of adult development and aging, pet ownership could be another aid to living that should be encouraged and assisted by local service programs."
"The Power of Pets"
by Laura Beil, Geocities/Petsburgh Zoo
"Pet owners keep dogs and cats for companionship, affection and entertainment... research is also suggesting that puppy love may help keep a person out of the doctor's office...Companion animals are associated with lower stress, fewer doctors' visits and even better survival after a heart attack. An animal may help stroke victims build strength and psychiatric patients quell anxiety...about half of nursing homes now have some kind of animal program...
In 1990, Judith Siegel from the University of California, Los Angeles, reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology that elderly people who owned a pet needed fewer doctor visits...Her examination of almost 1,000 Medicare recipients took into account a person's living conditions, underlying chronic disease, education and other factors known to influence health...She found that people without pets average 9.49 visits to the doctor in one year, while pets owners had only 8.42 visits during the year studied."
In an article entitled "Pets and Your Health" from the MayoClinic HealthOasis Newsletter, July 20, 2000, Edward T. Creagan, M.D., an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, says:
"A study published in the March 1999 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
showed that senior citizens who own pets are less likely to be depressed, are better
able to tolerate social isolation, and are more active than those who do not own pets.
And these increased levels of activity are not explained solely because dog owners
take their dogs for walks. Cat owners are equally active.
We all need something to live for and something to focus on, besides ourselves... Pets offer us unconditional love, which is of significant benefit to our overall well-being."
"The Healing Power of Pets,"
Pet Corner, nbci.com
"Many researchers are finding that the most serious disease for older persons is not cancer or heart disease - it's loneliness...Love is the most important health tonic we
have and pets are one of nature's best sources of love...
Dogs and cats help everyone overcome the pain of loneliness by supplying companionship and affection...Pets make you laugh and divert your mind from troubles...they broaden your circle of friends and encourage good health through exercise...pets can
aid relaxation, lower one's blood pressure, promote health, and prolong life. They help
us unwind...a cuddle a day may keep the doctor away...
Many elderly and lonely individuals have discovered that pets satisfy their needs and enable them to hold on to the world of reality, of care, of human toil and sacrifice, and of intense emotional relationships. Their self-concept as worthwhile individuals is restored and even enhanced when they find that the pet they have been caring for loves them
in return."
"How Community-Based Elderly People
Perceive Pet Ownership,"
