The increase in life expectancy is good news, but it has its B side: the increase in associated diseases to the elderly. Among them, dementia.
If we take into account that social isolation is a risk factor To develop dementia, the importance of implementing measures to combat it can be measured.
Why have pets in old age
Loneliness, loss of family members, health problems, idle time. There are many characteristics that can make the elderly not be an easy stage to transit.
Most professionals who address the problems of this stage of life (gerontologists, psychologists, psychiatrists) agree on something: the importance of have a purpose. In this framework, a piece of advice becomes relevant that has the virtue of bringing together the answer to several demands: having a pet.
“I prescribe pets” said the cardiologist specializing in stress medicine Daniel López Rosetti in a recent video uploaded to social networks.
“Science has proven that the relationship with animals, emotionally speaking, is beneficial. Decreases the level of cortisol, which is the stress hormone, increases dopamine, which is the pleasure hormone or reward, it increases serotonin, which is a neurotransmitter that is related to well-being, it increases oxytocin, which is a hormone that is the so-called love hormone and has a very particular function: it increases attachment,” he developed.
“The relationship with animals serves to reduce anxiety levels and depression, and promote health in both the physical, mental and emotional order,” he says.
Ricardo Jáuregui, president of the International Association of Gerontology and Geriatrics, and medical director of We Care, lists the advantages of living with a domestic animal.
One study associated pet ownership with a decrease in cognitive decline. Photo Shutterstock.
“The benefits have mainly to do with the socialization, being able to avoid loneliness, in addition to having a purpose in life, having to take care of someone and fill spaces. The company is fundamental,” he reflects.
According to him, this causes depression levels to decrease, since the animal also acts as a link with the outside: “Having pets makes older adults interact more, because they have to leave the house to buy them food, or if it’s a dog, to do their business,” he adds.
Dog or cat? The advantages of each
Precisely these issues are pointed out by Mónica Berjman, writer and author of “How I Became an Older Person”, which a few years ago adopted two cats.
“I always had a dog, but at a certain point, the golden He grew so much that I couldn’t carry him down the street, I ran after him until one day I hit myself“, remember.
Based on that experience, he knew he had to implement changes, but never doubted the fact of live with a pet.
Mónica Berjman enjoys the company of one of her cats. Photo courtesy.
“Today I have two cats that keep me company, they help with depression, you worry about them, you observe them, and they also observe us, it has happened to me that in my nightmares I woke up screaming and the cat immediately came and sat next to me , I hugged him and we slept. You are not alone if you have a cat,” he says.
The feature that stands out the most is the fact of having a company insured. “It’s different knowing that you arrive home and there are two waiting for you, they look at you, they meow at you, they ask you for food, for you to pet them, they turn upside down. They give me a lot of joy because, where I go, there are the cats. Now that it is said that animals are like people, that they have rights, for me it is a cat-person,” she jokes.
Regarding whether a cat or dog, he assures that each one has different positive characteristics for an elderly person and each one must attend to their needs. possibilities and needs.
Cats are clean and put the person in a place of importance. Photo Shutterstock.
“The dog forces you to go out because you have to walk it, for that it has to be a small dog, but the cat has the facility that you don’t have to go out on rainy days or in winter, It is absolutely clean“, since it gets used to relieving itself on its pebbles, and it is also a very beautiful animal: looking at a cat is pleasant, the elegance of its walk, the smoothness of its skin, its deep eyes, how it stands upside down,” describe.
Finally, a no less important feature stands out: the animal places the elderly person in a place of utmost importance: “Having a pet is having someone who needs you, at a stage of life where they don’t need you anymoreyou got off the stage, but the cat needs you, it’s not just that you need the cat,” he analyzes.
Pets and the brain
Now, as López Rosetti highlights, the advantages of having pets are not only emotional. One study even associates it with better cognitive levels from 50 years old.
The study, published in Jama Networksuggests that pet ownership may be associated with slower cognitive decline and a higher level of verbal fluencyl among older adults who live alone. An interesting fact is that they did not see these advantages among those who lived with other people.
A dog guarantees certain levels of socialization, necessary to avoid isolation. Photo Shutterstock.
To reach that conclusion, they analyzed 7,945 participants aged 50 years or older with data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging and concluded that having a pet was associated with slower rates of deterioration in verbal memory and verbal fluency among people who lived alone.
In short, have a pet countered the association between living alone and decreased memory and verbal fluency rates.
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