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Senior Companion
Animal Program Newsletter
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"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives
whole."
- Roger Caras |
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Animals
provide emotional benefits as they shower us with
unconditional love and attention, allow spontaneous expression
of emotion, reduce our loneliness, decrease our anxiety,
provide us
with increased relaxation & fun and bring laughter into our
lives. |
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A
Growing Problem
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Gloria with Soci |
Volunteers of America launched the
Senior Companion Animal Program in 1995 to help low-income
senior citizens preserve vital relationships with their pets.
"Soci and
I depend on each other and knowing I'm not alone to provide for
her is a big comfort".
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About seven years ago there were 35 million people over
the age of
65 living in America. By the year 2030, it is expected
that that number will more than double to around 88 million
Americans
over the age of 60, and of these 88 million, 8 million
will be 85 years of age or older.
While the
number of Americans over the age of 100 has
more than
doubled over the past 15 years, this increase will accelerate
even faster during the next 25 years due to anticipated
breakthroughs in medical care and
technology.
All of the distressing statistics - 6 million elderly living
without care in their own homes with Alzheimer's disease, an
estimated 10 million elderly alone in their homes, 2.7 million
elderly minority members living in poverty, an estimated 1
million elderly
who are abused - are predicted to accelerate alarmingly.
The Senior Companion Animal Program helps alleviate the pain of
aging alone in our society by facilitating
the
companionship of seniors and animals.
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The Human - Companion Animal Bond
In the last decade, the medical community has come to
recognize the importance of our connection to the world of
companion animals. The roles companion animals play in our lives
can be
divided into four main categories. They are physical, emotional,
social, and cognitive roles. In their physical role pets
con-tribute the following benefits: increased exercise, sensory
stimulation, decreased blood pressure, the comfort of touch, and
a
diversion from pain. Animals provide emotional benefits as they
shower us
with unconditional love and attention, allow spontaneous
expression of emotion, reduce our loneliness, decrease our
anxiety, provide us with increased relaxation & fun and bring
laughter
into our lives. Our pets provide social benefits as well
such as: providing recreation, security, relieving the boredom,
monotony and isolation of life in institutional settings, and
allowing us the opportunity to communicate with an animal and to
others about our animal. The fourth contribution pets make is of
a
cognitive nature. We are more likely to exercise our long and
short-term
memory in discussion of our present and former pets.
Pets help us live more energetic lives. Dogs need to be
walked. Things need to be done for the comfort and
care of our
pets. People suffering from arthritis have been shown to live
more
active
lives because they are forced to get up and move about to
care for their pets.
Studies of the elderly have also shown that older pet
owners visit the doctor less often and take less medication than
non-pet owners. They are less likely to report feeling lonely,
and,
therefore,
are less likely to visit their doctor for reassurance or to
stave off loneliness. Dr. Judith Seigel, a University of
California epidemiologist, found that among 1,000 Medicare
recipients, 40% of the elderly who owned dogs sought the
services of a doctor far less often than those who had no animal
companions.
Pets help the elderly hold onto the world of reality, of
care, of human toil and sacrifice, and of intense emotional
relationships. Their self-concept as worthwhile individuals is
restored
and
even enhanced when they find that the pet they have been caring
for loves them in return. They help the elderly cope with the
loss of a loved one or a change in their circumstance. The
senior citizens were less likely to fall into the depression
that strikes many elderly people when a friend, relative or
loved one becomes seriously ill or dies. The friendship of their
pet acts as a stress buffer in
these situations. People look to them for solace.
It is clear that our relationship to our pets has untold
medical, social, and psychological implications. Companion
animals alleviate depression, comfort the lonely, lower blood
pressure,
increase survivorship from myocardial infarction, and ease the
social
pain of aging in our society. For many, pet ownership is a
kinship that cannot be denied. To the pet lover, pets are true
miracle workers.
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Keeping Loving
Friends Together
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"Maggie is healthy and the Senior Companion Animal Program provides me
with a way to keep her that way. Maggie is my whole world and I
am hers. I can't imagine what life would be like without her".
At right,
Connie is pictured with Maggie.
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Volunteers of America of Greater Los Angeles began the Senior
Companion Animal Program six years ago in Long Beach in order to
help low-income senior citizens preserve the vital relationships
they have with their pets. This project
has now expanded into the Greater Los Angeles area and is
currently serving a total of 400 senior citizens in one capacity
or another.
Needed funds are raised to
provide veterinary care, including surgery and medication,
transportation of vets to and from veterinary clinics and
pet-sitting or boarding. Many elderly people forgo their own
health care because they are afraid of what will happen to their
animal friend if they are hospitalized. With the assistance of
dedicated volunteers, the program also provides pet food and
supplies.
Our motto
has become "Keeping Loving Friends Together" in recognition of
the importance that these people not lose the companionship of
their best friends for such insignificant reasons as lack of
transportation or insufficient income to pay vet bills. For
many elderly, their all-important dog or cat is, literally,
their whole life … a reason to get up in the morning, a reason
to smile and enjoy the day. The joy brought to the lives of
the elderly by their companion animals far outweighs any
monetary costs. With the elderly becoming an ever-increasing
demographic and the problem of pet over-population worsening,
the Senior Companion Animal Program aims to serve the dual role
of providing senior citizens with the means to avail themselves
of some of the best healthcare around, the love and affection of
a companion animal, and alleviating the problem of unwanted
animals by placing them in the homes of loving senior citizens.
Numerous
studies have shown that having pets greatly improves the quality
of senior citizens' lives. Caring for a pet promotes vital
exercise, in turn alleviating depression, from which many
elderly people suffer. In addition to providing a platform for
increased social interaction, a relationship with a pet gives a
senior citizen a sense of pride and purpose. The Senior
Companion Animal Program raises funds to provide veterinary
care, including surgery and medication, grooming, transportation
to and from doctor visits, pet boarding, spaying and neutering,
food, litter, and other supplies for the pets of these
low-income senior citizens.
"I
love cats because I enjoy my home and little by little, they
become its visible soul.”
- Jean Cocteau
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Thank
You
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We want
to say THANK YOU to our volunteers who give their time and
energy so generously. Without them, many senior citizens would
be so alone. We also want to thank and acknowledge our donors
for their support
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Plum Foundation
Mary Jo and Hank Greenberg Animal Welfare Foundation
CAL FED Bank
Employees Community Fund of Boeing California
Archstone Foundation
Josephine S. Gumbiner Foundation
PacifiCare Foundation
Clorox Pet Products
SPCA/LA
Bayer Corporation (Advantage)
Merial (Frontline Brand Products)
Cardinal Laboratories, Inc.
Cedar Fresh Scoop
Church and Dwight Company
Central Pet/Santa Fe Springs
Cameron Diaz
Hill's Science Diet
David
Hockney
Kal Kan
Pet Food Wholesale, Inc.
Scoop-N-Flush Cat Litter
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Volunteers of America of Greater Los Angeles
Senior Companion Pet Program
3600
Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 1500
Los Angeles, California 90010
(213) 389-1500 ext 18
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