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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Pets and older people in residential care
— a project funded by the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) and the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA) | | Author(s) | June McNicholas |
| Corporate Author | Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) |
| Publisher | Society for Companion Animal Studies (Electronic format), [2008?] |
| Pages | 29 pp |
| Source | Download from website: http://www.scas.org.uk/petsforlifescas/keyresearch... |
| Keywords | Pet keeping ; Care homes ; Sheltered housing ; Social surveys. |
| Annotation | The 'Pets and Older People in Residential Care' survey was commissioned by the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) with funding from the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association (PFMA), in order to investigate attitudes towards pet ownership in UK residential care facilities. The survey included a sample of 234 care facilities (residential care homes and sheltered housing units), 23 animal shelters and 44 veterinary practices in six major cities (Cambridge, York, Plymouth, Birmingham, Coventry and Manchester), and used questionnaires, interviews with staff and residents, and focus groups with older people both in and out of care. The study replicated an influential survey by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) in 1992-3, which highlighted a lack of understanding of the importance of pets to older people and the lack of policies on pet ownership at the time. The aim was to examine changes in policies and practices in care facilities since the JRF study, to determine whether further action is needed. There still appears to be little understanding about the importance of pets to older people in the UK; and a lack of formal policies means there is insufficient information for older people who want to take their pet into residential care. This is in stark contrast to other countries, including USA, Greece, France, Monaco, Norway and Switzerland, all of which have introduced legislation to ensure that older people have the right to keep or maintain contact with animals, whether they live independently in the community, in sheltered accommodation or in long-term care homes. SCAS and the PFMA would like more housing providers to consider whether their residents could benefit from being allowed to take their pets with them into residential care and to develop carefully considered pet policies that clearly outline whether pets are allowed. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090129201 E |
| Classmark | HVT: KW: KLA: 3F |
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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