The Significance of Pets for Vulnerable Older Adults during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Explorative Qualitative Study
by
, , ,
Peter W. A. Reniers
1,*,
Ruslan Leontjevas
1,2,
Ine J. N. Declercq
1,2,
Marie-José Enders-Slegers
1
,
Debby L. Gerritsen
2 and
Karin Hediger
1,3 1
Faculty of Psychology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6419 AT Heerlen, The Netherlands
2
Department of Primary and Community Care, Radboud Institute for Health Sciences, Radboudumc Alzheimer Center, Radboud University Medical Center, 6500 HB Nijmegen, The Netherlands
3
Faculty of Psychology, University of Basel, 4055 Basel, Switzerland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2022, 12(20), 2752; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202752
Submission received: 25 June 2022
/
Revised: 23 September 2022
/
Accepted: 11 October 2022
/
Published: 13 October 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coping, Stress and Crisis Response within the Field of Human Animal Interactions)
Simple Summary
Pets may reduce the negative impact of COVID-19 countermeasures, such as social isolation in older adults receiving long-term care at home. To better understand the significance of pets for older adults in long-term care during the pandemic, we conducted interviews with five older adults in long-term care at home and with four family caregivers. All participants reported having negative experiences during COVID-19 countermeasures. The results suggest that pets were a source of structure and stability for pet owners. The study showed that pets played an important role in the lives of older adults in long-term care at home both before and during the pandemic.
Abstract
Older adults receiving long-term care at home (LTCH-clients) were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and its countermeasures. Previous research suggests that pets can mitigate some of the pandemic’s impacts for older adults but results are contradictory. Our aim was to investigate experiences of LTCH-clients and the significance of their pets during the pandemic. Accounting for saturation, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five LTCH-clients and four family caregivers of LTCH-clients with dementia. Participants were asked about their experiences with COVID-19 and the significance of LTCH-clients’ pets during the pandemic. Two researchers performed thematic analyses in ATLAS.ti using open coding and an iterative–inductive approach. All participants reported negative experiences as a result of COVID-19 countermeasures. Results suggested that caring for pets provided pet owners with structure, which may have contributed to a sense of stability and continuity. Our outcomes underlined an important role of pets for LTCH-clients both before and during the pandemic.
Keywords:
older adults; pets; long-term care; community care; COVID-19
