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Media Centre
The Pets for life project aims to encourage care home providers to allow older people in residential care to benefit from the companionship of pets and the proven health benefits that they bring.
The website has been developed by three organisations that are dedicated to promoting the benefits of the human-animal bond: the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA) and The Blue Cross pet charity.
It follows a newly published study – Pets and older people in residential care – that reveals some worrying trends about the current status of pet ownership in care facilities:
Only 35% of residential care homes have a formal written policy about pet ownership. Many do not allow pets at all, or exclude cats and dogs (the most common type of pet).
Nearly 40% of care home residents showed signs of distress following the loss of, or separation from, a pet – a figure which in reality may be much higher.
There is evidence that some older people are reluctant to seek medical help or the care they need because they are worried they will be parted from their pets.
In the six regions surveyed, over 1,000 pets are put to sleep every year because their elderly owners have to go into residential care. Nationwide this figure is likely to be considerably higher.
Find out more
We are able to answer questions from journalists about this research and all aspects of the human-animal bond. Please click the links on this page to view relevant case studies and the spokespeople who are available for comment or interview.
For general enquiries, please contact The Blue Cross press office on tel: 020 7932 4060 or by email: press@bluecross.org.uk.