Obradović Nataša, Lagueux Émilie, Latulippe Karine, Provencher Véronique
School of Social Work, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada.
Research Centre on Aging, Centre Intégré Universitaire de Santé et de Services Sociaux de l'Estrie-Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke (CIUSSS de l'Estrie-CHUS), Sherbrooke, QC J1H 4C4, Canada.
Animals (Basel). 2021 Sep 7;11(9):2628. doi: 10.3390/ani11092628.
Human-animal interactions may positively impact the health and well-being of older adults. Considering about one third of community-dwelling older adults report owning a pet, better understanding the benefits, challenges, and the role of pet ownership may help support the relationships between older adults and their pets. This case study aims to better understand the role of pet ownership in the daily lives of older adults and explore the benefits and the challenges of owning a pet for this population. Interviews were conducted with Violet, a 77-year-old dog owner and her healthcare provider. Qualitative data were analyzed by two evaluators and validated by the participants. Both participants agree that the benefits outweigh the challenges for both the older adult and her pet. The benefits and challenges were the following: Violet, taking care of her dog (Jack), (1) could provide Violet with a sense of safety and positively influence her mood; (2) may introduce a slight fall risk; (3) includes financial costs to consider. Ensuring Jack's well-being is important for Violet and her dog benefits from Violet's continual presence and care. The findings suggest that improving the fit between characteristics of the owner and their pet may support the meaningful role of pet ownership within the context of aging-in-place.
人与动物的互动可能会对老年人的健康和幸福产生积极影响。鉴于约三分之一居住在社区的老年人报告养有宠物，更好地了解养宠物的益处、挑战以及其作用，可能有助于支持老年人与其宠物之间的关系。本案例研究旨在更好地理解养宠物在老年人日常生活中的作用，并探讨养宠物给这一群体带来的益处和挑战。研究人员对77岁的养狗老人维奥莱特及其医疗服务提供者进行了访谈。定性数据由两名评估人员进行分析，并由参与者进行验证。两位参与者都认为，对老年人及其宠物而言，养宠物的益处大于挑战。其益处和挑战如下：维奥莱特照顾她的狗（杰克），（1）能给维奥莱特带来安全感，并对她的情绪产生积极影响；（2）可能会带来轻微的跌倒风险；（3）涉及一些需要考虑的经济成本。确保杰克的幸福对维奥莱特很重要，而杰克也从维奥莱特的持续陪伴和照料中受益。研究结果表明，改善宠物主人与宠物的特征匹配度，可能有助于支持养宠物在就地养老背景下发挥有意义的作用。
