In-Home Care Helps Seniors Take Care Of Pets

Having pets can make seniors much happier and it can improve their health, too. Many seniors find that having pets gives them a sense of purpose and pets bring a lot of joy into their lives. Studies show that pets can be very beneficial for seniors. But as your senior parent gets older they may start to have trouble taking care of that pet. If your senior loved one develops mobility issues, walking a dog might get difficult. Or if your senior parent loses grip strength or develops arthritis cleaning the litterbox or dishing food can be hard to do. In-home care makes it easier for seniors to get the benefits of having a pet without the stress of taking care of the pet’s daily needs. A few of the ways that in-home care helps seniors with their pets are:

Walking

Walking a dog is great for seniors if they don’t have mobility challenges. Having a dog is a fantastic motivator to get seniors off the couch and moving every day. But when your senior loved one starts to have trouble walking, or develops a progressive disease like Parkinson’s that can affect their gait, or just becomes older and more frail than they were before walking a dog can become dangerous. If seniors fall because they tripped over the dog they could break bones or be seriously hurt. A care provider that is delivering in-home care can walk your senior parent’s dog and make sure that the dog is getting enough exercise.

Going To The Vet

Getting a pet to the vet is almost always a challenge. Even if the pet is well-behaved your senior parent would have to get them into the car and out of the car, get them into the vet’s office, and manage them inside the vet’s office. And that’s if they drive. If your senior loved one no longer can drive then the task of getting a pet to the vet becomes even harder. In some places mobile vets will come to your parent’s house, but that service is not available everywhere.

Brushing And Grooming

Pets need brushing and grooming, and some of them need regular baths too. A care provider can make sure that your senior loved one’s pet is getting the daily grooming they need if your senior parent can no longer hold the brush or doesn’t have the strength to give their dog a bath. Cats don’t bathing usually but they do need brushing, especially if the cat is a long-haired breed. An in-care provider can also help ensure that the pet goes to a groomer if necessary.

Feeding and Watering

Boxes of litter are very heavy. So are bags of pet food and full containers of water. Seniors can have a difficult time carrying heavy boxes and bags of pet supplies into the house from the car, or even getting them in the cart at the store. In-home care can go shopping with your senior parent or help them order pet supplies and get them into the house even if they are heavy.