Seniors benefit more from regular walking sessions with shelter dogs than from scheduled walks with friends or a spouse.
That's the finding from a study to be reported at the annual conference of the International Society for Anthrozoology that begins today in Kansas City.
In 12 weeks, the dog-walking seniors, ages 74 to 87, showed significant increases in walking speed, balance and confidence, important markers for older adults to avoid the "downward spiral" that occurs when they walk less, lose lower-body strength and isolate themselves socially, says the study's author, University of Missouri professor Rebecca Johnson, director of the Research Center for Human-Animal Interaction.
The group assigned to walk with another person five days a week, the same frequency as the dog walkers, did not do as well. The reasons the dog walkers fared better, Johnson says: People in their 70s and 80s are devoted to volunteering, and the notion that "there was a dog that needed them" prompted them to arrive unfailingly for the walks. But those who walked with others engaged in "discouragement of each other," she says. If the weather wasn't good or one person wasn't feeling well, they would decide to shorten the walk or not walk at all. Seniors could benefit greatly if shelters organized dog-walking programs for senior, she says.
This sounds like a wonderful program! :) And a great idea for seniors. I know, for myself, at 62, my walks with my Mika dog are precious. My entire relationship with her is precious. I'd frankly rather walk with her alone, than with other people in a group. I'm not a "groupie" and never have been. :P With just Mika I can concentrate on a decent pace for exercise, get out of my head and focus on the sights and smells, feel the sun on my face, feel the breeze, etc. Not caught up in "conversation" with other people. (Also difficult as I wear hearing aids, so moving and the breeze making sound against my hearing aids, and then trying to *hear* the words others are speaking, is a frustrating experience. <:/ ) But even without my hearing issues, I've always preferred solitary exercise. :) I can focus on my own goals for intensity, length of time, route, time of day, etc. I don't have to juggle all that with other people who have other needs or wants. :P
I'm thinking, too, that many times seniors live in places that are anti-dog and so they can't have their own dog. Plus they may not be able to afford a dog, to feed them, pay vet bills, even maybe be able to walk a dog daily. Or take care of a dog 24/7 or do the ongoing training needed, etc. So, being able to be a volunteer to walk a dog, would be a great opportunity for exercise, but an anti-depressant, feel good connection as well. Getting outdoors and moving is a great deterrent to depression that older people often are susceptible to (I know I am).
Our local shelters seek walkers for the dogs, and I think that's a great program! Some are more complicated in the requirements for qualifying as a "volunteer" and require a commitment of some training as well as a minimum number of hours per week.
Excellent idea though! :)
Blessings,
Gypsy
)O(
"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night.
It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime.
It is the little shadow which runs across the grass
and loses itself in the sunset.
- Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator
As Above, So Below.
Mika Dog
"All things share the same breath;
the beast, the tree, the man.
The Air shares its spirit with
all the life it supports."
--Chief Seattle
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go where they went."
~Will Rogers
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress
can be judged by the way its animals are treated."
~~Mahatma Gandhi
