Pets can bring a lot of joy and love to seniors, but it can be devasting for a senior when a pet passes away. The grief of losing a pet can be just as hard for a senior to process as losing a family member. Studies have shown that losing a pet can be just as difficult emotionally as losing a close friend or family member. 24-hour home care services might seem like an odd way to help a parent get over the loss of a pet but it can help more than you might think.
If your senior parent experiences the loss of a pet there are some things that you and their 24-hour home care aide can do to help them process their loss like:
Listen To Them Talk About Their Pet
One of the best ways to help your senior parent cope with the loss of a pet is to listen to them talk about their pet and remember all the good times that they had with that pet. It can really help your senior parent deal with their grief to look at photos and videos of their pet and talk about all the unique mannerisms that made their pet so special. Tell your senior parent that you will always listen if they want to talk about their pet so they know that you won’t be upset if they talk about their beloved pet.
Get 24-Hour Home Care
Your senior parent is used to having a companion in the house with them 24 hours a day. When they lose that pet they will feel lonely, especially at night. Having 24-hour home care means that your senior parent won’t be alone all night and that can help them deal with their grief and sadness. Not being alone will also help them avoid developing anxiety or depression as a result of their loss.
Do Something Special As A Memorial
There are lots of ways that you can surprise your senior parent with a special memorial for their beloved pet. You may want to get a special urn for the pet’s cremains. Or, you can have a special stuffed animal made that looks exactly like your senior parent’s pet. These popular custom-made stuffed animals can be very helpful for seniors to get over the loss of a pet. You can also have some of the photos of the pet framed and matted so that they can be hung up in the pet’s honor. Another good way to memorialize a pet is to sponsor a shelter pet in the name of the pet that passed away.
Encourage Them To Volunteer With Animals
Often seniors don’t want to get another pet after losing a pet that was very special to them. But you can encourage your senior pet to volunteer at the local animal shelter or humane society to get them back in close contact with pets. Fostering is a great option for seniors because they get all the benefits of having a pet in the house but the shelter pays the cost of the animal’s care and food.