When Pet Love Comes to Older Adults, Everybody's Tail Wags

A number of local San Diego organizations, including the San Diego Humane Society and the Helen Woodward Animal Center, visit senior living communities, hospitals, and private residences with pets so that seniors can enjoy the animals' company, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune . Helen Woodward's Robin Cohen said studies demonstrate physical health benefits of interacting with animals, including lower blood pressure, stress reduction, reduced cholesterol, and muted pain sensations. "There's complete acceptance that comes from an animal: the unconditional love, there's no judgment, they listen, they accept and they love," she noted. Cohen also said nonverbal trauma sufferers have opened up to the animals they were petting, and then started talking about their ordeal for the first time. "Some of the people we visit have often been isolated from others and maybe have a hard time connecting with people. But with the animals, it's such a pure connection and a beautiful connection that they offer," she pointed out. Cohen added that animal interaction also can trigger memories in people who have dementia.