Companion animal support programs  for the elderly and disabled living at home seem to be sprouting up everywhere!  And not before time.  We all know how good pets are for us.  Health and happiness improve in a positive relationship with a pet.  Aged and disability services are finally recognizing the benefits to their clients and the cost effectiveness of including a volunteer program for clients with pets in their overall service delivery.

Local councils in  Wodonga, Manningham and Yarra (Victoria)  are in the planning stages of  pilot programs.  If you know anyone living in these municipalities and struggling with a pet or if you’d like to become a volunteer get in touch with them.

We wish these programs well and with the guidelines of the Active Service Model  which  is client centred and therefore acknowledges the values and priorities of the client now being mandatory in all HACC funded services, we anticipate clients having access to the services which have been demonstrated to be the most urgent to them.  Short term foster care is the one which is consistently asked for and the consistent preference is NOT a shelter or boarding place but in-home with a caring volunteer.

For more information about services which are part of a companion animal program please refer to the benchmarks (link to “benchmarks” document attached – can it be in PDF?) of the Australian Pets and People Network for guidance.

Companion animals are certainly acknowledged in the aged and disability sector  – but almost always in the negative. 

As far as we know, the vast majority of assessment templates, whether for HACC programs or CACPS and so on acknowledge a client’s pet but primarily as an OH&S risk.  This is not a true reflection of the relationship between clients and their pets.

In a recent correspondence with the youthful and fit looking (bet he has a dog!) Minister for Mental Health and Ageing, Mr Mark Butler, indicated that there may be a possibility of support toward looking at this issue.  Now’s the time with the major reforms to the sector recommended in the Inquiry into Older Australians –Productivity Commisssion Report   on the way – why not throw in a few more? 

We’ll keep you posted.  In the meantime let us know what you think about this.

Sorry to say folks, this is not a local development. 

The Bill – driven by Nick Palmer, MP and Nigel Waterson, MP is one currently proceeding through the U.K Parliament with all party support.   The Bill will make it lawful for people going to permanent care in the UK to take their pet.  

Apart from the fact that, in one year, 38,000 healthy pets were euthanized  as a direct result of  being made homeless because their guardians went to  supported accommodation – which would have done a lot of good for these people – studies show that the transition to a care environment is easier with a pet and depression was alleviated when there was a little mate to confide in.  But most importantly why should ageing or infirmity be so barren of choice? 

Normal lifestyle options like having a pet – a big one in Australia – ought to be available to the end of life without being exceptional.

When is Australia going to get with the times and make such reforms?