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Elderly people in many respects benefit from interaction with dogs
Open accessAbstract
Unlabelled Over the course of evolution, humans and animals have entered into a close relationship. By domesticating animals, humans were able to use them to their own advantage. However, animals should not only be seen as mere providers of material value; in fact, they actually enrich humans' lives on an emotional level. The classic examples for this evolution are dogs: they are considered loyal companions, particularly for children and elderly people. This relationship between humans and animals is the subject of this research study and is examined from a gerontological perspective by employing qualitative social research methods. Conclusion The results of the study reveal the manifold meanings that pets - in particular dogs - can and do have to the elderly. At this point, it should also be noted that there is still a strong need for further research into this topic from a gerontological perspective.
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Humans can become very attached to their pets.
“Humans can become very attached to their pets, and when they lose them, they may undergo grief reactions similar to those with loss of other people [32, 60].”
From The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals (2014) · cites this paper as [32]
In a qualitative survey, dog owners over age 70 in Austria stated that dogs provided companionship and a sense of purpose.
“dog owners over age of 70 in Austria stated that dogs provided companionship and a sense of purpose [32].”
From The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals (2014) · cites this paper as [32]
When humans lose their pets, they may undergo grief reactions similar to those with loss of other people.
“Humans can become very attached to their pets, and when they lose them, they may undergo grief reactions similar to those with loss of other people [32, 60].”
From The Benefit of Pets and Animal-Assisted Therapy to the Health of Older Individuals (2014) · cites this paper as [32]
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Metadata
- Authors
- Scheibeck, R., Pallauf, M., Stellwag, C., & Seeberger, B.
- Affiliations
- UMIT TIROL - Private University for Health Sciences and Health Technology (AT)
- Corresponding author
- Scheibeck, R
- ORCID
- Pallauf, M
- Venue
- European Journal of Medical Research
- Published
- 2011
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 557
- ISSN
- 0949-2321 (ISSN-L)
- 2047-783X
- PMC
- PMC3351901
- OpenAlex
- W2054112937
- Cited by
- 64
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 2.00
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- European journal of medical research (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Social Robot Interaction and HRI
- Keywords
- human-animal relations, pet dogs, older adults, human-animal bond, companion animals, gerontology
- MeSH terms
- Aged, Animals, Austria, Human-Animal Bond, Dogs, Female, Humans, Life Style, Male, Walking, Pets
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