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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Are pets a source of support or added burden for married couples facing dementia? | | Author(s) | Cathleen M Connell, Mary R Janevic, Erica Solway |
| Journal title | Journal of Applied Gerontology, vol 26, no 5, November 2007 |
| Pages | pp 472-485 |
| Source | http://jag.sagepub.com |
| Keywords | Pet keeping ; Therapy ; Stress ; Spouses as carers ; Married couples ; Dementia ; Social surveys ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | In studies that have explored pet ownership in families affected by dementia, reported benefits have ranged from improvements in patient behaviour to reduction in caregiver blood pressure. In this exploratory study, the impact of dementia on relationships among pets, caregivers, and care recipients was examined using content analysis of open-ended questions included in a telephone survey. Female spouse caregivers who owned pets were asked how their relationship with their pets changed since they started caring for their spouse. Most caregivers reported that they felt closer and more attached to their pets than previously. However, some caregivers reported that their pets created an additional burden and they and their spouse had less time to care for the pets since the onset of illness. Findings highlight the need for further research to explore the unique benefits and burdens of owning a pet for families affected by dementia. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-071206220 A |
| Classmark | HVT: LO: QNH: P6:SN: SM: EA: 3F: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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