Leashes, Litterboxes, and Lifelines: Exploring Volunteer-Based Pet Care Assistance Programs for Older Adults

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dc.contributor.authorMcLennan, Kate
dc.contributor.authorRock, Melanie J.
dc.contributor.authorMattos, Emma
dc.contributor.authorToohey, Ann M.
dc.date.accessioned2022-07-12T16:07:55Z
dc.date.available2022-07-12T16:07:55Z
dc.date.issued2022-04-26
dc.description.abstractAt the convergence of population aging and pet-ownership, community stakeholders are well-positioned to support older adults’ relationships with companion animals through age-related transitions in health and living arrangements. In this study’s setting, a volunteer-based pet care assistance program launched in 2017 to provide practical assistance with pet care for socially disadvantaged, community-dwelling older adults. This case study explored the impacts and feasibility of this and similar programs via (i) an Internet-based environmental scan to compare similar programs and (ii) qualitative interviews with a sampling of diverse community stakeholders (n = 9). A small number of comparable international programs (n = 16) were found. Among these, programs were delivered using a range of funding models; fewer than half involved collaborations across human social services and animal welfare sectors; and none addressed all dimensions of support offered by our local program. Analysis of qualitative interviews highlighted five major themes confirming the value of the volunteer-based approach and the importance of cross-sectoral collaborations in addressing older adults’ under-recognized pet care-related needs. Taken together, the findings confirmed the effectiveness of our local program model. Collaborative, cross-sectoral programs that target both human and companion animal well-being hold promise to reduce barriers to pet ownership that many disadvantaged older adults face. This unique approach leverages the health-promoting potential of human-animal relationships in ways that enhance quality of life for individuals, animal welfare, and age-friendliness of communities.en_US
dc.description.grantingagencyCanadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)en_US
dc.description.grantingagencyAlberta Innovates - Research Granten_US
dc.description.grantingagencyUniversity of Calgary - Research Granten_US
dc.identifier.citationMcLennan, K., Rock, M. J.. Mattos, E., & Toohey, A. M. (2022). Leashes, litterboxes, and lifelines: Exploring volunteer-based pet care assistance programs for older adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873372en_US
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873372en_US
dc.identifier.grantnumberMOP-130569; 201504en_US
dc.identifier.issn1664-1078
dc.identifier.issn1664-042X
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1880/114828
dc.language.isoengen_US
dc.publisherFrontiers Mediaen_US
dc.publisher.departmentCommunity Health Sciencesen_US
dc.publisher.facultyCumming School of Medicineen_US
dc.publisher.hasversionpublishedVersionen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgaryen_US
dc.publisher.institutionCalgary Seniors Resource Societyen_US
dc.publisher.policyhttps://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditionsen_US
dc.rightsThis article was published by Frontiers Media in FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY on 26 April 2022, available at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.873372/full. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. © 2022 McLennan, Rock, Mattos & Toohey.en_US
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0en_US
dc.subjectsocial welfareen_US
dc.subjectpetsen_US
dc.subjectolder adultsen_US
dc.subjectaging-in-placeen_US
dc.subjecthealth promotionen_US
dc.subjectage-friendly communitiesen_US
dc.titleLeashes, Litterboxes, and Lifelines: Exploring Volunteer-Based Pet Care Assistance Programs for Older Adultsen_US
dc.typejournal articleen_US
ucalgary.item.requestcopyfalseen_US
ucalgary.scholar.levelUndergraduateen_US
ucalgary.scholar.levelFacultyen_US
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