Being around pets has incredible therapeutic effects on the mental, emotional and physical well-being of humans and the benefits of using therapy animals are increasingly recognized by assisted living facilities as well. Though assisted living homes usually don’t allow residents to keep their own pets, pet therapy is readily offered by many homes today – here is how the process can benefit residents:
- Facilitating social interaction – while interacting with therapy animals, the residents who have previously rejected communication find it easier to interact with each other as well;
- Lowered stress levels – pets, especially the very smart ones used as therapy animals are known to be able to reduce the stress levels experienced by the people around them by stimulating their brains to release dopamine and serotonin;
- Improved physical fitness – playing with a pet involves physical movement, therefore pet therapy is beneficial for the mobility and the physical fitness of the residents in assisted living facilities;
- Giving a purpose in life and reducing depression – the affection shown by therapy animals can be of a lot of help for elderly residents suffering from depression, prompting them to return that affection and bringing back joy and purposefulness to the life of previously depressed residents. Tour one of the finest assisted living centers, at https://www.erseniorliving.com/the-craig-retirement-home-amarillo-texas.aspx.
Original Post on: Are Therapy Animals Effective in Assisted Living Facilities?
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