Catch up with Part 1 about heart health here.
Catch up with Part 2 about allergies here.
Catch up with Part 3 about the difficulty of measuring the impact here.
As pets are part of the family for many people these days, their impact on our health is important. I'm writing a series of posts about the effects pets have on human health. In Part four, the final post in this series, I want to talk about temporary companions.
Researchers have used animals to temporarily provide companionship to children with health or mental health problems. Likewise elderly people, who may not have the energy or resources for a live-in pet.
While these studies do not always have consistent results, some positive findings of interacting with a therapy dog include reduced levels of pain and anxiety among hospitalized children and adults. It must be remembered, however, that anything that takes the mind of pain may have equally successful results.
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The same has been found with increased focus and interaction among children with autism and other developmental disorders. In nursing home settings, interaction with visiting dogs has led to more social behaviour, more interaction among residents, and less loneliness. That is a welcome thing.
While research on animal-assisted interaction and therapy is not always consistent and is often done with small groups of participants, there is some evidence that interaction with a companion animal even for a short time might have a range of benefits
Do you have access to a pet on a temporary basis? Do you think it benefits your health?
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