Seniors and dogs can be a great combination, especially for those seniors aging in place on their own.
The companionship of a dog or other pet has been shown to provide real health benefits to seniors and help them avoid a feeling of isolation.
It's important, though, for thought to go into selecting the right dog for a senior loved one's personality, situation and ability to care for the dog.
For this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show, we turned to a pet expert to help you help the senior loved one in your life who has or is considering a dog.

Expert Pet Insight
Steve Appelbaum is President of Animal Behavior College and a long time expert on pets and those who love them. We had an opportunity to speak with him and get his insights on pet ownership for seniors. Our conversation is included as the feature segment on this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show.
As you'll hear in our recorded chat, Steve wholeheartedly agrees that dog ownership can be beneficial to seniors. He suggested some considerations and resources we can use to help senior loved ones pick a pet that is most suited to them which, as Steve says, may not be the dog our senior loved twenty or thirty years ago.
Steve suggests seniors do some research before getting a dog but also has very specific recommendations. Adopting a dog, for example, may be better for a senior than getting a puppy because the senior may not be up to having a "two year old on four legs" around the house. That painted a vivid picture of the effort needed to care for a puppy.
Steve provided a number of other insights valuable for family caregivers whose senior loved ones are - or maybe should be - considering a new dog.

News Items in This Episode

Computer Games May Help Older Adults Walk More Easily
Driving Program Puts Older Vets at Ease
Heartening Drop in Diabetes Complications Seen Among Seniors
Being Web Savvy Tied to Better Health in Seniors

Special Guest Quick Tip
For the quick tip in this episode, we decided to stay with the dog theme and bring in another guest expert.
Christina Booker, General Manager of From Our Dogs To Yours, shares valuable information on dental health for dogs to mark Dental Health Month. It turns out dental health is as important to dogs' health as it is to the rest of us.

Links Mentioned in this Episode

Animal Behavior College

Find a Dog Trainer
Dog Trainer Program

Suggested Reading: The Right Dog For You by Daniel F. Tortora
Dental Care is Important – We Need Our Teeth to Eat! by Christina Booker at From Our Dogs to Yours

We hope you'll enjoy this episode of the Senior Care Corner Show and find the information to be valuable as you consider the needs of senior loved ones and help them make the most of their lives.
Please let us know in what areas conversations with experts would be of value to you and we will arrange those for future episodes.
Podcast Transcript – so you can follow along or read at your convenience