Furbaby and senior care now level up in US counties.
Apr 7, 2024
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Takeout for Pets! |
Furbaby and senior care now level up in US counties.
Pet care has gone to the next level! Seniors living in Berkshire Country, Massachusetts, who accept Meals on Wheels delivered to their door, can now receive pet food supplies delivered to their homes as well. This happens thanks to a collaborative effort between local community organizations, as the Berkshires news portal reports. Why is this disturbing in the most positive way? The answer is that this compassionate move has the potential to remain vulnerable seniors and other people at home with their beloved pets.
Community organizations with heart
This pet food assistance program, which delivers the following month’s supplies of pet food on the first Tuesday of each month, is the result of a partnership between the animal shelter at Berkshire Humane Societyindependent living facilitator Elder Services of Berkshire Countyand the Berkshire Family & Individual Resources (BFAIR) service organization that supports people with disabilities. The program delivers animal feed to seniors who are local Meals on Wheels members and cannot visit a store to buy food, or travel to the Berkshire Humane Society’s pet food bank.
Financial concerns are common among seniors at home with pets in their care. Pet assistance program leaders highlight price hikes for groceries on the iBerkshires portal, effectively leaving some struggling seniors forced to make sacrifices to keep feeding their precious friends with four legs.
Another feature of Berkshire County, according to the Berkshire Humane Society’s Executive Director John Perreaultis that the region is made up of relatively scattered communities, which makes this community initiative even more necessary: “It takes a village to make a difference and the great thing about the Berkshires is that we are pretty isolated and we have a lot of people working together and it shows that we can make a difference.
Keeping owners and their pets together
It is difficult to overestimate the added value in terms of well-being and quality of life that pets bring to the elderly. As BFAIR’s Senior Director, Laura Baran, explained to iBerkshires. “The animals in our lives are family and should be cared for with their owners… And we are happy to be a part of that.”
Research supports the view that living with pets enriches the lives of seniors. A recent study suggests that in seniors living alone, pets may help stave off cognitive decline.
A 2017 study titled “Depression, loneliness, and pet attachment among at-home elderly cat and dog owners”, meanwhile, suggests that companion animals drive high levels of attachment in this demographic, and may lead to alleviating the negative experience of living more isolated life.
According to a Aging Care article on the healing power of pets for seniors, health benefits may include stress reduction, lower blood pressure, and a reminder for owners to focus on the present and less on the worries about physical ailments, and negative preoccupations about loss or aging.
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Daphne has a background in editing, writing and global trends. He is inspired by trends that see more people caring about sharing and protecting resources, enjoying product experiences and celebrating their unique selves. Making the world a better place is a constant motivation in his work.
