The human-animal bond has proven to be healthier and usually discovered in later life than any stage so as human support. Old age is the time where most people develop a deep and emotional relation to their animals. These animals are a vital part of the senior’s daily life. A human-animal connection is often like an inter-reliance because humans sometimes need animals to become human again.
Undoubtedly, pets can give older adults a feeling of belonging as they provide vital companionship. Accompanying owners during the day and giving out love, pets have been a tremendous lovable activity for the elderly. Pets help you feel busy throughout the day with the daily chores eradicating the loneliness problem that often arises with ageing. Pets need love and care which the elderly are willing to give at this stage of their life. Feeding the pets and even taking them out for a walk are some of the everyday chores that the elderly adapt being a pet’s owner. Despite all this being true, on the other side of the story, we would still say that pets are not enough for older adults at their age. Our elderly loved ones still need human support to function in everyday life. You would agree that pets cannot possibly take care of one’s medical and functioning needs, right?
So, Why Is Human Support Needed?
Pets are an essential part of one’s life. The attachment they form with the care and love is unmatchable, and they help the elderly improve their mental state, reduce loneliness, and improve their health. Pets get uncomparable love by the elderly, but humans must fulfil the more significant needs for proper care of adults. A caregiver is a person that assists the elderly and provides human support. In the process of care, a caregiver helps older adults with preparing meals. Timely food with proper ingredients on is essential. Looking out for the right components in one’s meal is another task humans think through and control for the elderly adults.
Medication management is another chore that a human care provider must carry out. Monitoring, tracking, and reminding the elderly about their medication is not a pet’s job, so human support is required. Taking care of medical condition for an elderly and going for appointments can also be not done by a pet. Ensuring that the patients do not take a medicine that is the same is also a significant task carried out by a caregiver.
Although companionship is one task that pets can carry out but not entirely. Giving and taking love is essential, but the elderly need someone to talk to, someone to understand their words and pets can listen, but humans must still initiate a conversation. Having a feeling to say something to them and getting a returned feedback is what the elderly want at this stage of their life. So companionship from humans is also a must through human support.
Personal care is something that pets and humans both need throughout the day. A professional and expert caregiver can fulfil the needs of older adults, including washing, cleaning after toilet, bathing, changing clothes, exercising or even merely a walk to another human or even a pet. Similarly, pets also need human to care for them. An older adult who needs care himself might not care for the pets. Pets require washing and cleaning, taken out for a walk and even fed multiple times a day. All of these chores without human support is impossible.
Older people sometimes feel the need to go out for entertainment or just a small drive making them happy and refreshed. Staying inside the house for long hours make them dull. The need and urge to see the world outside and what’s happening there sometimes becomes necessary, and this refreshing turn in an ageing person’s life can help them cheer up, shine and get a new perspective. A pet cannot fulfil this need for transportation and assistance in getting out of the house, but a human care provider.
Wrapping It Up
Even though pets are a good way of providing love and a sense of touch and attachment for an older adult, there are some primary needs that humans can only fulfil. If you wish to hire a personal caregiver for yourself or your elderly loved ones, get in touch with us at ActiveCare Home Care, we’ll be happy to guide you through our services.