VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!
We need volunteers for a booth at the Agility Association of Canada's BC Regionals Competition in June.
Please view our News and Events Page for more information.
Pet Visitation
Pet visitation is an informal program of pets visiting people in need of companionship. At Pets and Friends, it involves regularly scheduled visits from screened and trained pet-owner teams to elderly, sick and disabled residents of long-term care facilities.
Benefits of Pet Visitation
Physicians, facility staff, relatives and volunteers have observed residents benefiting from pet visitation in a variety of ways, including:
- Increased physical and social activity,
- Decreased aggressive or hyperactive behavior,
- Increased ability to deal with feelings of loneliness and isolation,
- Relief of depression and disorientation,
- Improved morale, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-respect,
- Lowered blood pressure, and
- Reduced stress and anxiety.
One of the most important things pet visitation does is help residents to open up socially in their day-to-day lives. Caregivers can improve the quality of care they deliver when residents are willing to communicate their feelings, needs and desires.
In general, residents thoroughly enjoy the diversion, physical contact, funny moments, easy conversation and just-as-you-are acceptance pet visitation provides.
Pet Visitation vs. Pet Therapy
Pet visitation is concerned with improving quality of life for long-term care residents. It focuses on residents’ comfort and pleasure rather than specific treatment goals. Interactions between volunteers and residents are spontaneous and social in nature. Pet therapy, on the other hand, is used by researchers and medical practitioners as an adjunct to a patient care plan that is intended to facilitate specific and measurable therapeutic outcomes.