How Pet Therapy Brings Comfort to People Living With Dementia

I am amazed, even today, a couple of years later, by how perceptive, caring, and loving animals are to those who are sick. My daughter had surgery recently, and her cat knew when she was sore, feeling unwell, and sad. The cat would snuggle on her legs away from her incision.

I saw similar incredible things with dogs and my dad as the dementia was getting worse, even though his wounds were not visible like a surgical incision is. Looking back, I can now see the benefits of pet therapy playing out in front of me long before I had a name for it.

How an unexpected canine connection eased a difficult transition

Navigating the process of moving a loved one into a nursing home can be incredibly challenging. My mom struggled with letting go of my dad to live in a safer place. He needed a nursing home bed, but one was not available. The only thing available was a retirement home bed, and thankfully, it was in the city where they lived.

The owner had a large, gentle, black mixed-breed dog. In the midst of moving Dad to his new home, the dog took to his side. The room was small, and we were literally tripping over the dog at first. I stood back watching. Dad recognized that something was going on. He still had some verbal skills then but didn't understand what was happening. The dog did, though.

The dog sat at Dad's side. The dog lay at his side. The dog would not leave his side. The dog sensed Dad's fear. Normally, the dog comes on command. Despite the owner's commands, the dog refused to leave my father's side. The owner commanded several more times, and, again, the dog wouldn't come. The owner said he'd never seen his dog do that. He had to physically remove the dog from my dad’s side so we could spend some time with him. I was struck by what the dog perceived while we were busy with the "tasks." I will never forget that dog and the dedication she gave to someone she had just met in distress.

The physical and emotional benefits of therapy dogs

A couple of weeks later, Dad was in his new home. After a few months there, he no longer had verbal skills, but his non-verbal skills were still quite expressive. I was surprised to learn that many senior care facilities and nursing homes welcome family dogs for visits. As long as a dog is gentle, quiet, and up to date on vaccines, it can visit. My brother has just such a dog, Dixie. The nursing home had rooms in the common area where family members could meet with their loved one in a quiet space. These beautiful rooms were glass-fronted. When Dixie would visit the nursing home, many of the residents would flock to the glass to see her.

One day, in particular, there were so many folks at the glass to see her that staff had to move them away. I was amazed at how the dog created that connection to people; how it triggered some memory in so many of them. When Dad would see Dixie, he lit up! His smile was huge. On the lighter side, Dad would call Dixie by name when he saw her but was confused about who the rest of us were. Somewhere in Dad, there was a pleasure, a happiness, in seeing Dixie. A piece of him that was still in there. Dixie brought that out of him. Dixie gave us happy memories of Dad. I'll never forget the smile he had every time he saw her.

The power of pet therapy

Although I never gave much thought to animal therapy before, I certainly do now. Experiencing firsthand the benefits of pet therapy has been heartwarming and amazing to watch. It not only helps folks with dementia, but it helps those of us who love them.