Pet ownership poses financial and physical hurdles for Calgary seniors

Calgary, AB – Despite the many prospective mental health benefits of owning a pet, ownership poses insurmountable financial and physical challenges for many seniors. According to Dr. Ann Toohey, PhD., UCalgary researcher and adjunct assistant professor and manager of the Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging, 40 per cent of Canadian adults between ages 65 and 69 have a pet, while only 22 per cent of adults aged 80 and older have one. Vet bills and grooming can be very expensive. While walking a dog may be an overwhelming prospect - if not physically impossible in some cases due to mobility limitations – there are also fears about what will happen to a pet if the owner has to move to a non-pet-friendly residence or if the pet outlives its owner.

One focus of Toohey’s research projects is a novel social service program called Pet Assist. Delivered by the Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society, Pet Assist consists of a team of volunteers who help the most disadvantaged and isolated seniors with pet care. This can include anything from walking and administering medication, to driving an animal to the veterinarian.

“There are increased barriers some older adults face with pets later in life and that brings up issues around ethics and social justice. We need to ask ourselves, ‘How can we promote social inclusion by giving our aging population the dignity of choice and the support they need to keep their pets later in life?’”

Dr. Ann Toohey, PhD., researcher and adjunct assistant professor, UCalgary and director, Brenda Strafford Centre

Currently, in order to deal with the barriers of owning a pet, some seniors are taking drastic measures to ensure they can keep their companion. Some don’t disclose their own declining health to their doctor because they fear losing their pet, while some face increased anxiety about paying for pet food or pet bills, which overshadows the benefits of having a companion animal. Toohey is encouraging leaders, planners and architects to consider new ways to create more age-friendly communities that include better availability of appropriate housing and policy changes that are more socially inclusive to older adults and their pets.

 “Pet Assist is a really important initiative because it not only provides social interactions, but keeps pet situations from getting out of control when an older person can no longer care for an animal on their own.”

Dr. Ann Toohey, PhD., researcher and adjunct assistant professor, UCalgary and director, Brenda Strafford Centre

Another new area of Toohey’s research is robotic pets in care settings for people with dementia. She’s currently leading an interdisciplinary research team investigating the ethical implications of introducing robotic pets as alternative companion animals for those who can’t care for a true pet. While the research is in its early stages, there has been growing interest in robotic pets during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To access Pet Assist services, visit the Calgary Seniors’ Resource Society.

 

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Dean Parthenis
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403-629-5806
dparthen@ucalgary.ca

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