![\"Dogs](\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2015\/12\/Dogs-for-Dementia-Patients-350x350.png\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nEvery caregiver for a senior with dementia knows the feeling of patience wearing thin. No matter how much you love the person, no matter how much you know their behavior is influenced by the disease, no matter how much you tell yourself these things, it\u2019s hard. Being a person with dementia is confusing and frustrating. Being a person that takes care of someone with dementia is potentially even more so. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One out of three seniors<\/a><\/strong> will suffer from dementia. <\/strong>Once it starts taking its toll, it\u2019s hard to fight. Alzheimer\u2019s, the disease that accounts for <\/span>75% of dementia cases<\/a><\/strong>, has no cure. The seniors who are diagnosed with Alzheimer\u2019s and the people taking care of them know that they\u2019re facing a steady decline in the years to come. That\u2019s a daunting fact to face, and one that huge numbers of families in the United States are dealing with right now. <\/span><\/p>\n Caregivers often suffer from especially high levels of stress and many even fall prey to depression. No matter how much you love your family member with dementia, there will be days when it\u2019s hard for the pain, frustration and stress not to feel overwhelming.<\/span><\/p>\n The toll is high on everyone that dementia affects. It\u2019s no wonder that the patience of loved ones wears thin and getting through the day can increasingly come to feel like a chore. We\u2019re human after all.<\/span><\/p>\n Ever since the internet\u2019s come onto the scene, something that\u2019s long been true about human nature has been demonstrated with greater clarity than possibly ever before. When we feel we\u2019re surrounded by doom and gloom, one of the most consistently effective ways to brighten our mood is with images of animals. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s not just that we like cute things. Having pets around comes with a <\/span>whole heap of benefits<\/a><\/strong>. The presence of a pet has been linked to:<\/span><\/p>\n As you may have noticed, there\u2019s some overlap between the list of problems dementia patients and their caregivers face and the list of issues pets help with. <\/span><\/p>\n When you start to think about the role pets play in our lives \u2013 dogs especially \u2013 it really makes a lot of sense that they would make good companions to people struggling with dementia. \u00a0<\/strong>Animals <\/span>aren\u2019t judgmental. They don\u2019t ask much of us (well, unless it\u2019s time to eat or take their daily walk). They encourage activity through daily walks<\/a><\/strong> or wanting to play. They can add a social component to a lifestyle otherwise beset by loneliness. <\/span><\/p>\n In the later years of Alzheimer\u2019s, when patients have an increasingly difficult time finding anything familiar or comforting, a dog can evoke emotions in an animal-loving patient that nothing else in their life can. They\u2019re soft, affectionate, and won\u2019t care if the senior tells the same story three times.<\/span><\/p>\n Animals have been used in therapy care<\/strong><\/a> for some time, but the role of dogs in dementia care is a relatively new development. The more that people experiment with having animals around dementia patients though, the clearer it becomes that they can make a positive difference. <\/span><\/p>\n In some cases, service dogs are used simply to alleviate the moods of patients. For those already receiving memory care in an assisted living facility, the home may have a program for bringing animals in to improve the moods of patients. <\/span><\/p>\n Some dogs with more extensive training can help assist with <\/span>practical day-to-day tasks<\/a><\/strong>, like helping lead a senior home when they go wandering, waking them up at a certain time, or helping remind them to eat and take their meds. \u00a0It sounds extraordinary, but the relationship between humans and dogs has long been pretty extraordinary.<\/span><\/p>\n Maybe you like the idea of getting a service dog to help with your loved one\u2019s care, but you\u2019ve got this nagging question in your mind about what will happen when you have to move them to assisted living. Someone will have to take care of that dog. You can\u2019t just abandon it or send it to the shelter after your family\u2019s bonded with it and depended on it for so long.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, a growing number of <\/span>assisted living facilities are pet friendly<\/a><\/strong>. Many homes that provide memory care recognize that pets are like family to their owners and know the research behind the benefits they bring to seniors. As a result, your family should have little trouble finding a facility that allows your dog. And service animals have been trained so well, that any pet friendly assisted living facility will be pleased to have such a well behaved dog in their midst.<\/span><\/p>\n Many assisted living homes work with programs that will bring therapy dogs into the home<\/a><\/strong>, so residents can enjoy some of the benefits of being around the animals without having to take charge of their care. If your loved one\u2019s assisted living facility is not yet taking advantage of a program like this and you think it could be a benefit to the residents, talk to them about it. <\/span><\/p>\n Point them to programs like <\/span>Pet Partners<\/a><\/strong> that will set up visits for therapy dogs in the home. If they\u2019re concerned about the possibility of dogs displaying behavior that can upset other residents, let them know that therapy dogs are very carefully trained to ensure they obey commands even in the face of distractions, don\u2019t startle easily, and won\u2019t make loud noises or jump up on residents. They\u2019re a safe and comforting addition to any facility.<\/span><\/p>\n While service dogs have been around for a while, therapy dogs for dementia are a little newer on the scene. Nonetheless, there are a number of strong examples of how much they can help patients.<\/span><\/p>\n Dementia Dog<\/strong><\/a> is an organization in the UK that trained some of the first dogs that have played the role of helping dementia patients. They <\/span>share several stories<\/span> on their website about the effect the dogs they train have had on the families they go to live with. One caregiver describes how their dog nudges her husband anytime he gets anxious to distract him from his negative emotions, while another discusses how useful their dog is for helping his wife remember to take her pills. The families report being calmer, happier, and their loved one being more themselves than before. <\/span><\/p>\n The Fisher Center<\/a><\/strong> shares the stories of several therapy dogs that have made a difference with their visits to assisted living facilities. The owner of \u00a0one of the therapy dogs in the story described a particularly touching moment between her dog Eva and a resident, \u201cshe had not spoken to anyone in five years, but she spoke to Eva.\u201d As the article\u2019s stories attest, the people who bring therapy dogs into nursing homes see some tremendous things. Residents who have had a hard time speaking or interacting with anyone for years will suddenly be comfortable engaging with a dog. To those that have seen it in action, the difference the dogs make is clear. <\/span><\/p>\n This piece wouldn\u2019t be complete without a dog video, now would it? <\/span>This story<\/span> about the TheraPaws Project in the UK<\/a><\/strong> shows examples of seniors interacting with dogs and talking about how meaningful their visits are. You can hear in their voices how much joy those dogs bring them and see their smiles as they interact with them.<\/span><\/p>\nA Growing Concern for Our Nation<\/h2>\n
Why Dogs are Helpful for Dementia Patients<\/h2>\n
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Can Service Dogs Move With a Senior into Assisted Living?<\/h2>\n
What if My Loved One Isn\u2019t Equipped to Care for a Dog?<\/h2>\n
Success Stories<\/h2>\n
Dementia Dog<\/h3>\n
Therapy Dogs in Assisted Living<\/h3>\n
TheraPaws Project<\/h3>\n