A study into loneliness among nursing home residents has proven that dogs really are a man’s best friend.
Researchers at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine in the US examined the behaviour of 37 nursing home residents who said spending time with dogs may ease their loneliness.
Half of the residents spent 30 minutes a week alone with a dog, while the other half spent the time with both a dog and other residents. The former experienced a greater decrease in feelings of loneliness than the latter after six weeks. Author of the study, Professor William Banks, said: “The residents found a little quiet time with the pooch is a lot nicer than spending time with a dog and other people.”
Residents prefer dogs to people
January 12, 2006 in Adults, Residential care
More from Community Care
Related articles:
Job of the week
Featured jobs
Employer Zone
‘There’s a real sense of pride in our work to reunite families’
‘We want everyone to succeed in their career’
‘Solutions can’t be scripted here – you have to be creative’
Putting a team around the social worker to make a difference to families
How working in residential care enables staff to build one-on-one relationships with young people
Employer zone – showcasing a selection of the sector’s top recruiters
Comments are closed.