Pet Friendly Senior Living!
Happy National Pet Month!
What is better than having a pet that loves you unconditionally and that brings so much meaning to your life. Did you know that there are HUGE benefits to having pets move with you to your Senior Living Community. So when you are battling with whether or not to find a senior living apartment that allows pets or to find other living options for your pets. Now is the time to stop battling and let your pet win!
Photo Credit | 123RF | @ Stephen Coburn
Pets make us all feel good and living with a pet has amazing health and wellness benefits for Seniors. It has been scientifically proven that bonding with an animal sets off a chemical chain reaction in the brain. Spending time with a pet can lower the levels of the fight-or-flight hormone, cortisol and increase the production of the feel-good hormone serotonin resulting in lowered heart rate, blood pressure and stress levels. Pets help reduce boredom and feelings of hopelessness, and instill in the owner a sense of purpose born from being accountable for the welfare of an animal. Fewer doctor visits are reported, and aerobic activity levels tend to rise.
With all of this in mind, we highly suggest that you plan on bringing your pet on your senior move. Click here for a list of pet friendly senior living facilities from our friends at A Place for Mom.
Pet’s Increase the Quality of Life
It is highly beneficial, even life changing, for you to spend time caring for a pet. There are benefits both physically and mentally:
- Walking a dog is a great cardiovascular exercise.
- Brushing, feeding, and washing your pet gets you out of your chair and moving.
- Mentally pets make you feel needed and gives you a sense of purpose and self-worth at a time when you need it the most.
- Seniors feel loved by their pets, especially when they are all they have left.
- Pets stimulate you mentally and give you a renewed interest in their later years of life.
Here are more benefits of pet-friendly senior living:
- Longer lifespan
- Lower rates of heart disease
- Lower systolic blood pressure and cholesterol
- Reduced stress and improved mood
While some senior living facilities still do not allow pets, others have decided to make pets an integrate part of their community. Pet therapy is highly beneficial during a senior move when everything seems so overwhelming.
We hope that you decide to move into a senior living facility that allows pets, but if there isn’t one in the area that you need to be in, try to find one that focuses on pets and has them onsite. Some facilities do not allow individuals to have pets, but they do have many animals onsite that they ask seniors help in caring for. This could be a great option for those seniors who currently have a pet and who fear they will go through withdraw in leaving their pet behind.
Whatever you decide, keep in mind all of the benefits of pets and when you start planning, call Moves for Seniors. We will set you up with a Specialty Move Coordinator and present you with a senior checklist to help with a smooth senior move.
Call today 800-227-0515 or click here for a free quote!