Helping Dallas Seniors Care for their Companion Animals

For many older people, pets are more than just a furry companion. A growing body of research indicates that pets are vitally important for many elderly people's health and mental wellbeing.

Pets provide comfort, companionship and unconditional love, easing the loneliness of increasing social isolation in old age; they require care and exercise, helping keep their owners active and staving off depression. Pet ownership is correlated with improved cognitive function, lower blood pressure and bad cholesterol levels, and older pet owners make fewer visits to doctors than those who are without animal companions.

However, owning a pet can pose challenges for the elderly. As physical strength, vision and coordination deteriorate, assistance caring for a pet may become necessary. Rising healthcare and other costs, along with a dwindling nest egg can make it hard for an older person to provide food and veterinary care for their companion animals, particularly when tough economic times start to eat into already meager funds. And seniors who are hospitalized or moved to assisted-care facilities or nursing homes may need to arrange fostering or adoption of beloved pets they can't take with them.

In direct response to these issues, a new non-profit organization was launched this year to brighten the future for Dallas-area seniors’ pets. SPAN - Seniors’ Pet Assistance Network - is a 100% volunteer organization established to serve the needs of Dallas-area seniors who require assistance in caring for their companion animals.

Presently, SPAN provides financial assistance for basic pet needs such as food, grooming, and veterinary care with future plans to include: providing new homes for pets that can no longer stay with their owners, offering inhome assistance and providing transportation to and from veterinary clinics and other pet-related errands for seniors who are homebound.

“We still have a long way to go in raising funds since we’re solely funded though private donations, but through the support of the community I’m confident that this is a cause everyone will embrace,” said Adelle Taylor, who founded the organization in May this year.

We encourage you to support this important initiative any way you can, to help our Dallas-area seniors struggling with the current economic situation. SPAN is a 501(c)3 organization, so financial donations are 100% tax deductible and may qualify for matching funds by companies who match employee donations.

For more information on SPAN and how you can make a difference in a seniors’ pets life, please visit http://www.seniorspets.org/.