What Is the Best Pet for Older Adults in Assisted Living?

Pets are great for helping older adults maintain a healthy, active, and social lifestyle. They provide good stress relief and emotional support. If your loved one is hoping to adopt a pet once they’ve settled into community living, we can help guide them in choosing a pet companion that suits their lifestyle.

The best pet is a practical pet. When choosing a pet companion to join your loved one in an assisted living community, you may consider a dog, cat, rabbit, bird, or fish.

While there are many options, it’s important to consider a pet that is most compatible with your loved one’s lifestyle. When adopting a pet, decision factors include age, size, energy level, maintenance, and temperament.

What Are the Benefits of Caring for a Pet?

Caring for a pet provides companionship and can improve the health and wellness of older adults. When older adults research retirement communities, a survey revealed:

70% said their pets factor into their decision-making
82% said they would not consider community living without their pet
86% of respondents said they would feel lonely without their pets

Caring for pets offers many benefits to older adults. These include companionship, emotional support, mental health benefits, routine, and structure. These help maintain a healthy and happy quality of life while living longer.

The Best Pets for Active Older Adults

Dogs require long daily walks and social interaction with other dogs, making them high-maintenance pets. Due to their high energy levels, dogs make great pets for older adults who live an active lifestyle.

Delightful Dogs

A dog would be a great pet if your loved one has a relatively active lifestyle. The size of their dog will play an important role. Consider the dimensions of their living area. If they don’t have a lot of space, a small dog may be the best fit for their living arrangement.

Small dogs are lighter, making them a great option for older adults to care for. Puppies are not a great choice for individuals living in assisted communities, as they require a lot of work, including training and housebreaking. Adopting a middle-aged dog is a good choice for older adults.

The Best Pets for Moderately Active Older Adults

Older adults who are moderately active may consider adopting a cat or a rabbit. While both pets are active and curious, they do not require the same daily maintenance as dogs. Active care for both animals ensures they are fed, played with, and groomed. Both cats and rabbits can be independent during parts of the day and are fine living in smaller environments.

Cuddly Cats

Cats make great companions for older adults. They do not require the same exercise and training as dogs but are still relatively active throughout the day. They enjoy the interaction and play with their owners. Caring for a cat will still provide light exercise.

Like puppies, kittens are high-energy. Adult cats are less rambunctious and are already litter-trained and house-trained. At most, they will need to give an adult cat a few days to adjust to their new home and owner.

Reliable Rabbits

Rabbits require lots of daily maintenance with specific diet requirements, exercise, play, and social interaction, but they aren’t high maintenance. Like cats, rabbits can be litter-trained. This will require putting in the effort to train your rabbit.

You may need to rabbit-proof the space before bringing a rabbit into the home as they can danger themselves by chewing on cords, furniture, and valuables.

The Best Pets for Older Adults with Low Activity Levels

Older adults with low activity levels will still benefit from caring for and bonding with a pet. However, it may be wise to choose a low-maintenance pet. These types of pets require minimal maintenance, such as cleaning their enclosure and daily feeds.

It can be a good idea to have more than one low-maintenance pet. For example, a bird may have a companion to keep it company, and the fish tank may house a variety of fish.

Beautiful Birds

Small birds are a great pet option for older adults with less active lifestyles. However, they can be noisy. If your loved one is sensitive to sound, be mindful of their singing and chatter.

A Family of Fish

Caring for a fish can be relatively easy, as all they require is a large tank, a quality filter, gravel for the bottom of the tank, and some hiding spots for the fish to relax in. Your loved one will need to feed their fish once a day, clean their tank, and change their water regularly to balance the pH level of their water.

The hardest part is setting up the tank for your fish. Afterward, just sit back and enjoy.

A Welcoming Home for Residents & Their Pets

No matter your loved one’s activity level, there is likely a pet suitable for them. Pets make great companions at any age and provide emotional support, physical activity, and a sense of purpose. The benefits of pet companions for healthy aging are abundant.

The shift into assisted living can be a significant change. A pet can help with the emotional toll that follows a lifestyle change. Here at Juniper, we are fortunate to provide a great sense of community that welcomes residents and their pets into our communal environment.

Cindy Longfellow