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Save 40% on this title! Stock #12032 (ISBN 978-1-878812-03-2) 384 pages 6” x 9” papercover © 1997  |
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Excerpted from Chapter 6: Animal-Assisted Therapy of A Life Worth Living: Practical Strategies for Reducing Depression in Older Adults, by Pearl M. Mosher-Ashley, Ph.D., and Phyllis W. Barrett, Ph.D. Copyright © 1997 by Health Professions Press. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Chapter 6
Feelings of depression in older adults frequently result from enforced isolation and loneliness. Whether older people live independently or in long-term care, these feelings are in part a symptom of the losses that accompany normal aging. Loneliness stems primarily from a person's awareness that he or she is isolated from other caring people and has been reported by many older adults. One therapy that has had a surprisingly restorative effect on depressed and lonely older people is animal-assisted therapy.
Pets have a boundless capacity for acceptance, adoration, attention, forgiveness, and unconditional love. They may serve as love objects to whom unlimited affection may be given without the fear of desertion or lack of reciprocation. In interventions with older adults, however, one must keep in mind that pets are not a replacement for contact with other people; priority should be placed on providing human supports. Pets are not a solution to the thought patterns that result in depression. If the structure of the emotional defenses of a lonely person is such that other people, including health care professionals, are routinely rejected, then attempting to foster a relationship with a nonthreatening pet may help to relieve some symptoms of depression. For example, Winkler, Fairnie, Gericevich, and Long (1989) described how, in a long-term care facility, one woman with clinical depression and another with cognitive impairment who was isolated from other residents were able to form strong attachments to a resident dog, an attachment that considerably improved their daily functioning. The beneficial effects of pets on human health are demonstrable. Simply watching or petting and talking with an animal can lower blood pressure and heart rate. Interacting with animals can also reduce mental distress by reducing anxiety levels. Pet owners make fewer visits to their physicians than do people without animal companions. Pets also serve as a "stress buffer" during difficult periods, such as coping with illness or the death of a loved one. Because of the healthful effects of pets on their owners, the use of animals to remediate physical or psychological problems has been explored. Animal-assisted therapy can be provided effectively for depressed older individuals living independently, in congregate living situations, and in long-term care facilities. Although the therapeutic needs of these individuals are somewhat similar, there are significant differences, warranting different methods of organization and implementation of an animal-assisted therapy program. At its best, animal-assisted therapy can help a person cope with some of life's greatest hurdles. A friend of one of the authors' became extremely attached to an emaciated stray cat that he named Abby. During the last year of the friend's life, Abby was a constant source of comfort. He often described the feeling of closeness he experienced each night when Abby curled up near his pillow. As he prepared himself for death from cancer, he told everyone of his wish to be cremated and, once Abby died, for her ashes to be mingled with his and scattered over the land he loved. It should be noted that the friend had a loving family and many friends who visited him frequently. Abby, however, shared his everyday existence, and his feeling of companionship with her was special. When people die, they usually hope to leave behind family and friends who will remember them. The author's friend wanted Abby to continue to share his existence in whatever form it would take. 
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