Pair Service Dogs With Home Care
While service dogs can provide great companionship, home care aides can also provide support and ease loneliness. They can also provide transportation, cook meals, and clean up the house. The caregivers at Assisting Hands Home Care are each licensed, experienced, trained, bonded, and insured by the home care agency to provide professional, compassionate care.
Give us a call at to schedule a free consultation with our home care experts. We proudly serve Fort Myers, FL and the surrounding areas.
Alarm Triggers For Emergencies
Did your senior parent or loved one fall or have an accident around the house? If theyre the only one at home and they cant get to a phone, this can very quickly become another one of those nightmare scenarios.
Not with a service dog in the house, it wont be. The dog will be able to trigger an alarm so emergency services are sent to the home immediately. Your senior loved one will get the care and medical attention they need.
Other Things To Consider
It is important to remember that pets can be safety hazards for the elderly especially because of their ability to trip or unbalance their owner.
If owning a dog isnt an option for you or your loved one with Alzheimers, fostering a pet, volunteering at an animal shelter, or suggesting a resident dog join a long-term care facility may be more viable options.
JessicaHegg is the content manager at ViveHealth.com. Interested in all things relatedto living a healthy lifestyle she works to share valuable information aimed atovercoming obstacles and improving the quality of life for others.
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Dementia Dogs Joining The Ranks Of Assistance Dogs
There is plenty of truth in the phrase mans best friend when used about dogs. They have been at the side of people for thousands of years. As far back as the first century AD, dogs were depicted helping blind people to get around. Since then we have become used to seeing assistance dogs in action. Everyone is familiar with Guide Dogs for the Blind, and the excellent work that they do. Now, work is being done on using dogs to help people suffering from dementia to make their lives easier.
The Future For Dementia Dogs
Prior to 2016, three dementia dogs had been trained by the Dementia Dog Project, and placed with couples. Its expected that, by 2019, a further eight dogs will be trained and helping people lead a fuller and more active life. The aim of the project is to enable dementia sufferers to remain living in familiar surroundings, within their local community. Care from professionals can also help with this.
Its possible to live independently when you have dementia, or to continue living with your partner. There are certain things that you need to think about, including possible adaptations to your home, and help with your ongoing daily needs. It seems as though getting a dementia dog could also be one of those considerations in the future. The Dementia Dog project is still in its early stages, but so far results have been positive. The project is a registered charity and has received a large amount of funding from the Life Changes Trust. If the project continues to receive the financial support it needs, it will continue to expand its programme of training and providing dogs in the future. The training will be developed according to the needs of the people with whom the dogs are to be placed. It seems as though mans best friend is going to add another positive to its relationship with human beings.
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Training Their Service Dog
Mark and Brenda Roberts of Alma, Michigan, had always been dog lovers. But it was a few years after Mark was diagnosed with vascular dementia, in his early sixties, that the couple decided to buy and train a service dog.Mark, now 70, knew one thing. No Labradors for him. He wanted a dog that would sit in his lap, a ball of fur he could cuddle. The couple picked out a bichon frise puppy, named her Sophie, and a new relationship began.
The couple knew a local dog trainer and asked her to help them train Sophie. Brenda says they opted for this route, rather than buying a fully trained service dog, because they wanted to take part in the training themselves, and to know the dog from puppyhood.
They also wanted to save money. Buying a fully trained service dog can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
The Americans with Disabilities Act defines a service dog as one who performs tasks for a person with a disability, tasks that directly help with that disability.
Sophie has been trained to track Mark by his scent, should he ever get lost, but her main daily task is to fetch his medication from a cupboard in the bathroom. Every evening at 8:30 p.m., the couple’s Alexa device announces, “Sophie, go get it” and Sophie shoots off to the bathroom to retrieve Mark’s meds.
Brenda and Mark both say there are less tangible benefits as well. For Brenda, it’s been the joy of training Sophie, and loving her, together.
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Some memory care communities accept pets, and others do not. Even though the ADA states that service dogs can be admitted to many locations where dogs are typically not allowed, the handler needs to be able enough to control and care for their dog. Many people with dementia rely on a caregiver to help control their service dog. So, unfortunately, this arrangement is unlikely to work after moving to a memory care community.
It may be possible for your loved one to keep a pet in their care community if you can identify a person there who will care for the dog, feed it, and take it on walks. This decision will likely differ from one community to the next, as the culture varies across communities. However, instead of allowing for personal pets, many memory care communities provide regular pet-therapy sessions where animal friends visit regularly. Some communities even have on-site therapy dogs that live there to comfort and support the community staff and residents.
If dog ownership is not right for your loved one, consider pet therapy sessions. Your loved ones life may also be enriched with other therapies:
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What Is An Alzheimers Service Dog
There are approximately 5.3 million Americans suffering from Alzheimers disease, and millions more with some other form of dementia. These people present similar challenges to their caregivers that many of our parents of kids with disorders like Autism, chromosome disorders, intellectual disabilities, and conditions that present autism spectrum behaviors. We have been approached by family members of loved ones with Alzheimers and other forms of dementia asking about our dogs trained to interrupt behaviors and to find lost children. After considerable research and thought, we feel the time is right to add this type of service dog to our list of dogs trained. Although we generally work with kids, the challenges these families face are so similar to the kids we work with and with the clear need to make placements on a three-unit team we have and will place dogs with these families.
Alzheimer’s Support / Alert Dogs
Alzheimer’s Alert dogs are dogs that are trained to help the caregiver but also provide emotional support and companionship to the person suffering from Alzheimer’s. In some cases, they can also lead a disoriented person home.
Some common tasks they are trained to do:
*Stay near the person with Alzheimer’s Disease and interact with them for companionship.
*Alert the caregiver when the person is on the move. For example, if the person gets out of their chair or out of bed, the dog goes and gets the caregiver to prevent wandering. The dogs are trained in the same way hearing alert dogs are. One specific sound the chair makes as the person stands up becomes the cue for the dog to run for help. It would be considered a ‘one way alert’ . If the dog needs to take the caregiver to the person, it would be called a ‘two way alert’ . If this occurs at night, the dog will also need to wake the sleeping caregiver.
For our sound alert video examples: replace the alarm clock sound with the chair squeaking the floor or the person’s feet hitting the floor. The dog runs and finds the caregiver, gives the trained alert, and brings the caregiver back to the person with Alzheimer’s disease.
*Push or nudge the person with Alzheimer’s away from doors. If alarms are on the doors, go get the Caregiver.
*Remind the caregiver to help person with Alzheimer’s take their medication.
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How Does The Impact Change When A Service Dog Enters The Picture
Service dogs for Alzheimers patients are a relatively new offering. This is because traditional training systems had to be updated to fit patients with dementia. Unlike other conditions, the specifics of Alzheimers and dementia require a different set of skills and training programs for potential service dogs. Where a seeing-eye dogs first priority is to keep their owner on track and safe from things they cannot see, an Alzheimers assistance dogs first priority is to make sure their owner gets home safely if they become lost or confused. This requires a drastically different training process than that for other dogs.
One such difference is the leash. For example, service dogs that assist with mobility issues typically wear a harness with a handle so their owners can stay close while the dog works. In Alzheimers cases, service dogs require longer leashes so they can walk directly in front of their owners and guide them home.
For example, a service dog trained to assist someone with Alzheimers could:
- Retrieve medications in a bite-safe container at the sound of an alarm set in advance.
- Guide a lost or confused person home from an unfamiliar location.
- Safely interrupt behavior if interactions between the caretaker and the patient are starting to get agitated.
- When its time for the dogs dinner, lead a person to a cabinet with the dogs food and a note reminding the patient to eat, too.
The New Breed Of Service Dog: Canine Caregivers For Dementia And Alzheimers Patients
There are approximately 5.3 million Americans suffering from Alzheimers disease, and millions more with some other form of dementia. New advancements are being made every year in the medical field to treat these conditions medically, but there are also studies behind a new form of treatment that supports the perks a doctor of the four-legged kind provides.
Service dogs have long been used to help humans with disabilities ranging from blindness, deafness, and even post-traumatic stress disorder. There is an International Assistance Dog Week to celebrate the work of these devoted animals. And now the emotional and physical benefits of pet ownership are being demonstrated in a new way by helping people who need the comfort and support of a furry friend at a critical turning point in their lives, specifically those who suffer from Alzheimers and other forms of dementia.
History and Research Supporting Assistance Dogs
Dogs have been mans best friend for thousands of years, dating back to when prehistoric humans domesticated wolves and later dogs into becoming their confidantes. Dogs have also been trained for centuries to assist humans with special needs. The first evidence of guide dogs for the disabled is a fresco depicting a blind man being led by a dog, which was discovered amid the ruins of Herculaneium, an ancient Roman city, and dates back to the first century A.D.
What Does It Take to be a Certified Service or Therapy Assistance Dog for Dementia Patients?
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The Downsides Of A Service Dog For Someone With Alzheimers
Some of the points we touched on above could be the very reason why a service dog maybe isnt the best choice for an Alzheimers patient.
- The mood changes that an Alzheimers patient undergoes could potentially have a negative impact on the dog. A senior in the middle stages of Alzheimers is quicker to anger, so if the dog has an accident or breaks an expensive vase or something similar, a senior might yell at the dog more than usual.
- If a senior with dementia struggles with basic tasks like remembering to feed, bathe, and dress themselves, how are they going to manage to take care of a dog as well?
- The added responsibility might be too much pressure.
While thats true, as well talk about in the next section, a service dog is equipped to remind a senior with dementia to feed the dog and let them out.
Can People With Dementia Get Service Dogs
Service dogs, depending on their duty, will be trained for different roles. For example, seizure alert dogs have a different skill set than psychiatric service dogs.
Other types of service dogs include mobility assistance dogs, hearing dogs, diabetic alert dogs, guide dogs / seeing eye dogs for the blind or visually impaired, autism service dogs, and allergy detection dogs.
I realize that you dont see any dementia service dogs on that list but, in reality, some dogs are trained specifically to assist those affected by Alzheimers and other forms of dementia. They are called neurotherapy dogs , but well refer to them throughout this article as service dogs or dementia dogs.
Here are some of the extensive training programs dementia dogs go through.
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Certain medications can also affect memory. A lack of sleep and an impaired thyroid function can negatively affect memory. Some of these conditions can also lead to a decreased ability to remember events. In addition to these, natural aging can affect brain function, and may lead to a slowdown in memory. Although this symptom does not necessarily mean that youre losing your memory, it could indicate a problem with your cognitive ability. If you are suffering from either, a medical evaluation is necessary to determine if youre suffering from memory loss. Service Dog for Alzheimers
In addition to aging, medications can affect memory. Certain antidepressants, anxiety medications, and sleep disorders can all affect memory. A persons mental health can also contribute to memory problems. In some cases, a persons mental state may be affected by the medication they are taking. Some untreated medical conditions can lead to deterioration of the brain and affect the ability to learn and remember. It is also important to see a medical professional if your symptoms persist even after youve stopped taking certain medications.
How To Get A Service Dog For Dementia
Service dogs are technically not pets, so its not like you can call up shelters or visit pet stores to find one.
Rather, youd have to find an organization or training facility that offers service dogs for dementia patients and then apply for a dog.
In the United States, Wilderwood Service Dogs and Assistance Dogs International are two such places that can help you learn more about getting a neurological service dog for someone with dementia / Alzheimers.
In the UK, Alzheimers Scotland and Dementia Dog Project collaborate to bring therapy dogs to people living in care homes or their own homes for regular visits and support services .
Besides the application, some organizations may require letters of reference as well as a health form from the seniors doctor that recommends a service dog.
Yes, these are more steps than what youd have to go through when applying to adopt a usual four-legged friend, but thats because service dogs are anything but usual.
Plus, given the circumstances, the organization thats adopting service dogs wants to ensure that the dog ends up in a kind, nurturing environment.
If a trained service dog is out of the question for your loved one, you may consider companion dogs, instead. While not trained for specific tasks, they can still make a big difference in the quality of life of someone with dementia.
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Service Dogs For Dementia
A service dog is more than a pet. Theyre trained to work with one person and perform tasks related to a specific disability, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act . Service dogs can be trained for a wide range of tasks over several months of training.
Service dogs differ from emotional support animals because theyre trained to mitigate the effects of a disability, including memory loss. An emotional support dog offers help for a persons mental well-being, but cannot mitigate the effects or symptoms of dementia.
Service dogs for dementia patients often need to work with the persons caregiver, too. They can be trained to follow commands from the caregiver as well as their owner. As dementia progresses, a caregiver will likely take the lead on giving commands and providing necessary care for the dog. 4 Paws For Ability and Dog Wish are just some of the organizations that train service dogs for dementia.
The following are examples of the helpful tasks service dogs can provide:
- Reminding someone to eat or take medication when memory loss has caused them to forget
- Blocking doors to prevent someone from leaving home alone and potentially getting lost
- Tracking someone who has wandered due to their restlessness
- Guiding someone back to their home if they become lost or confused
- Helping someone keep their balance as their equilibrium becomes affected by dementia
- Redirecting when someone experiences emotional distress during challenging moments, such as sundown syndrome
Require Care And Attention
For more elderly patients its important to remember that dogs can easily be tripped over, so this must be considered if the person is unsteady on their feet, and prone to falling. Also, if the patient is likely to forget to feed and water the dog, it is vital to have someone responsible for taking care of the animals needs.
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