UMass Researcher Seeking Older Adults for Pilot Program With Dogs

University of Massachusetts (UMass) researcher Katie Potter aims to recruit older adults to participate in a free dog training class, reports WWLP . Project Rover is a three-week pilot program to help boost physical activity for both human and canine participants. "We need to find ways to get our older adults moving more and sitting less," Potter said. "We know people love their pets so if we can find a way to bond with our pets, walk every day so we can incorporate it into our routine and think it's one approach that can work for some people." The twice-weekly, 45-minute classes at the UMass Behavioral Medicine Lab will demonstrate skills and commands for dogs, like walking and listening. "You wear an activity monitor, you fill out some surveys, you do memory tests and some physical functions and that's it," Potter explained. "It's a pretty good deal." The classes begin in September.