Animals offer a unique kind of comfort with their gentle presence and quiet companionship that can ease stress and lift the spirit. For older adults, pet therapy and animal companionship can offer meaningful support.
This is especially true for those living in skilled care communities or undergoing rehabilitation, where emotional, physical, and social well-being are closely connected.
As pet therapy becomes more common in senior care environments, the benefits of animal companionship are becoming increasingly clear, supporting emotional connection, reducing stress, and enhancing overall quality of life.
The Power of Pet Therapy in Skilled Care
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has long been valued in healthcare settings, and emerging research continues to highlight its value for older adults. Whether it’s a scheduled visit from a trained therapy animal or informal time spent with a pet, the emotional and physical benefits are significant.
Emotional Support & Social Comfort
Time with animals can offer a unique sense of calm, especially for individuals experiencing isolation, grief, or anxiety. Gentle touch, eye contact, and shared presence can ease feelings of loneliness and encourage emotional expression. Pet interaction is linked to the release of feel-good hormones like serotonin and dopamine, helping regulate mood and lower stress.
Therapy animals often evoke joyful memories for older adults, prompting conversations about their former pets and positive life moments. These emotional connections can be especially beneficial for people living with cognitive impairment or chronic illness.
Encouraging Conversation & Engagement
Animal interaction can also play a role in stimulating conversation and mental activity. For residents with cognitive challenges or memory loss, therapy animals offer a comforting and familiar presence. A calm dog or purring cat can become a bridge to connection, helping residents feel grounded and focused.
In group settings, animals often spark natural interaction. One resident might share training tips, while another shares a memory of a beloved pet. These moments offer a chance for meaningful social interaction, which can be difficult to come by in later stages of life.
Physical Health Benefits of Pet Therapy
While emotional comfort is at the heart of animal-assisted care, the physical benefits can’t be overlooked.
Encouraging Gentle Movement
Residents participating in pet therapy are often more willing to engage in light physical activity. Whether it’s brushing a dog, tossing a ball, or walking alongside a therapy animal, these small moments promote movement, coordination, and independence.
Rehabilitation therapists may even incorporate pet interaction into sessions, encouraging residents to reach, grip, or stand with added motivation and joy.
Supporting Cardiovascular Health
Spending time with animals can lower blood pressure and reduce heart rate, helping to relieve tension and promote calm. Just a few minutes of animal interaction can lead to measurable changes in physical stress markers.
These calming moments provide a meaningful addition to clinical care for residents recovering from surgery, a stroke, or a chronic illness.
Creating a Pet-Inclusive Culture in Care Communities
Pet therapy isn’t just an activity on the calendar, it’s part of a larger philosophy that values connection, individuality, and holistic wellness.
Welcoming Pet Therapy Visits
Care communities often collaborate with certified pet therapy programs that provide trained handlers and animals specifically suited to healthcare environments. These visits are tailored to meet various needs and comfort levels, whether someone prefers a quiet, one-on-one visit or a group activity in a shared space.
Involving residents in choosing the types of animals they’d like to see or activities they enjoy makes the experience more personal and empowering.
Maintaining Bonds with Personal Pets
Not every care environment allows residents to bring pets with them, but many work with families to keep the bond alive. From coordinated visits with family pets to framed pet photos at the bedside, small gestures help maintain connection. In some cases, residents receive updates or letters “from their pets,” adding joy to their daily routine.
These efforts honor the emotional depth of the human-animal bond and support continuity in the resident’s personal story.
Supporting Well-Being Through Connection
Animal companionship supports more than a moment of comfort. It can create opportunities for movement, bring structure to the day, ease transitions, and encourage emotional openness.
For older adults who are adjusting to a new environment or recovering from illness or injury, animal-assisted interactions offer something tangible: a sense of normalcy, familiarity, and even purpose.
Small Gestures, Meaningful Moments
The relationship between people and animals is timeless. In skilled care settings, that bond can become a meaningful part of the healing process—physically, emotionally, and socially.
Whether it’s through pet therapy programs or casual interactions with visiting animals, older adults can benefit in ways that foster a deeper sense of connection, reduce stress, and support overall wellness. These small, everyday moments can play a significant role in helping residents feel more at ease, more engaged, and more at home.
To see how compassionate, person-centered care comes to life, schedule a tour at Juniper Village at The Spearly Center and discover how we support well-being.