Pets and older people
Since the publication of the SCAS/Pet Food Manufacturers' Association ( PFMA) 2005 research, one of the issues that has received considerable interest and attracted much concern is the plight of older people having to give up pets when moving into sheltered housing/residential homes. In particular, questions have been raised about the scale of the problem in the UK (facts and figures).
The main UK-wide representational data on this issue is contained in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation 'Pets and people in residential care' research of 1993 and the Anchor Housing Trust 1997/8 survey of vets, animal sanctuaries and older people. Although these studies offer a comprehensive analysis of the problem and were very influential at the time of their publication, there is a need now to update the data and have a measure of the present scale of the problem and current practice.
Discussion with people involved in the older people and housing sectors confirms SCAS' view that, in the overall context of older people and companion animals, the particular issue of how older people can keep or maintain contact with animals in sheltered accommodation/residential care requires urgent attention. This proposed research is expected to provide crucial evidence that is required by decision-takers to begin to influence and practice in the UK. The research will once again be led by Dr June McNicholas.
The aims of the research are:
1. To obtain evidence on the current 'scale of the problem' in terms of:
- older people's experiences when making application for sheltered housing or residential care what are their needs, how many would like to take pets into care?
- an estimation of the number of pets given up for adoption or euthanased when older people move into sheltered housing or residential care
2. To review current pet-keeping practices/policies in sheltered housing and residential care homes in terms of:
- nature of pet policies informal/formal, written/verbal, number/types of pets allowed etc.
- whether residents had had to give up pets, whether they were distressed etc.
This research will provide an accurate description of current approaches to policy and their impact on older people and animal welfare. This evidence will be of value to policy-makers, decision-takers and practitioners, which SCAS believes is of crucial importance to influence policy, possibly legislation and most importantly, encourage housing providers to adopt best-practice in the interests of older pet owners.
SCAS is very grateful to the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association ( PFMA) for their continued support of work in this area.