Ways That Pets Can Improve Your Mental Health

Sometimes we think that owning a pet is a great way to add to our family or that we are doing our pet a service by saving them from an uncertain future. These alone are great reasons to own a pet; however, there are even more reasons to join the ranks of pet ownership.

Pets can benefit you in so many ways:

* Mentally
* Emotionally
* Physically
* Socially

While these are all important ways a pet can benefit you, improving mental health is high on the list. There are several individuals who benefit mentally from owning a pet. Of these, the elderly are worth a special mention. For many elders, living alone and feeling isolated are just a part of what they are experiencing during this stage of their lives.

Depression, Anxiety, and Panic

We all know that feeling isolated can lead to many other ailments. Of course, deterioration of the physical body is one of the downfalls of not getting out and socializing. However, mental deterioration in the form of panic, anxiety attacks, and depression can set in for an elder who is isolated. Those feelings are alleviated with the company of a pet.

Having a pet can improve the mental status of an elder in many ways.

A Feeling of Vitality

An elder who owns a pet is more likely to have feelings of wellbeing, peace, and a sense of vitality. A feeling that there is someone who needs caring for and tended to can make a huge difference, especially one who may have just recently lost a spouse they were caring for at home.

When an elder loses a spouse, sometimes they lose their sense of purpose along with them. Owning a pet is a wonderful way to get that sense of purpose back into their lives.

Socialization

Feeling isolated is one of the worst things an elder can experience; however, owning a pet can alleviate that sense of isolation. There are still some groomers who come to the home to groom pets and this gives the opportunity for the elder to have someone to share socialization.

Walking a dog also offers the opportunity to get out and about for an elder who is capable of doing so. Sometimes hiring a young teen in the area to come, walk the dog, and visit with the elder is a win/win situation all the way around. The teen may pick up some community service work and a few dollars as well.

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Ways a Service Dog Can Assist in a Medical Crisis

While for some, a dog is part of the family and a way to give and receive unconditional love, for others a dog is so much more. This is the case with a service dog. There are so many ways a service dog can assist in a medical crisis.

Not only can a service dog assist during a medical crisis, but it can be of optimal use before an actual crisis sets in as well.

Medical dogs have an uncanny ability or an extra sense when it comes to their owners. Some dogs have an innate ability to sense when something is amiss. This close sense of perception between dog and owner seems to come naturally in some cases.

Service Dog

Dogs who have this innate ability to alert their masters may be excellent candidates for training to alert. An alert simply means that a dog will alert its owner by various methods of an impending medical crisis:

* Barking
* Pawing
* Jumping on its owners
* Giving them a nudge

There are several ways an owner can take action now because their medical assist dog has alerted them:

* Taking their medication
* Taking their blood pressure
* Checking their blood sugar
* Getting to a safe place
* Calling a neighbor
* Reaching out for help in a public domain

These dogs are trained to alert their owners, which are vital, but also to assist them once an emergency has occurred. Here’s how:

* Seek out help for their owners
* Ensure the position of their owners is safe during something like a seizure
* And even pressing a button to contact emergency medical personnel

Just as there are many ways a medical dog can alert and assist an owner before, during, and after a crisis, medical alert and medical assist dog can also help with many conditions:

* Diabetes
* High blood pressure
* Heart conditions
* Fainting
* Seizures

Of course, a medical crisis dog or a medical assist dog needs caring for and, as such, an owner with disabilities still needs to be sure that he or she can care for that dog. The dog will still need walking, grooming, and veterinarian visits.

A medical crisis or a medical assist dog is a wonderful gift to its owner and the families that love them.

I hope you enjoyed this post:-Ways a Service Dog Can Assist in a Medical Crisis. For more posts please see https://bestbuddyforever.com