A study indicated that pet ownership and companionship allow seniors to recover faster from ailments after receiving treatment for a disorder. They therefore spend less time visiting their doctor when compared to counterparts who do not have pet companions. Such findings prove that pet ownership and companionship present health benefits.

It has been noted that as older adults reach the age of 60 and above, they are likely to suffer from pain caused by spinal degeneration. However, an older person’s attitude and environment can have an effect on the level and duration of back pain experienced by a person, regardless of age. Still, older folks who are often under stress, or experiencing feelings of depression, have greater tendencies to suffer from chronic back pain.

In contrast, adults who managed to go through life and through their aging stage, stress free, are better off. Mainly because they develop fewer psychological factors that complicate their ability to respond positively to treatments of pain caused by spinal degeneration

Many studies have shown that most pet owners tend to have a longer lifespan than those who do not have pet companions, especially when advancing through the years. That is because pet owners reap the health benefits gained from owning and caring for pets; making them less vulnerable to developing feelings of stress, anxiety and/or depression.

Reasons Why Owning a Pet Helps Older People Deal with Age-Related Spinal Degeneration

Seniors regularly take their dogs for a walk, an activity that allows them to keep in touch with other people and stay abreast of community developments and events. As a result, they do not feel alone, or forgotten by friends and acquaintances. Moreover, older people undergoing therapy that requires exercise are better equipped to meet the required level of daily physical activities. Moments spent walking a pet, as well as feeding and caring for it as a routine, give them purpose or reason to stay active.

Now if a non-pet owner/senior would be interested to keep a pet companion, there are animal shelter programs throughout the country that facilitate adoption of pets, appropriate for their health condition..The program matches the pet to the medical and physical condition of people aged 62 and above, usually by pairing a senior cat or a senior dog. A senior cat is offered as a better match to an older adult whose back pains prevent him or her from moving around and about without a mobility aid or device.

On the other hand, it would be best for family members and health care providers, caring for seniors who suffer from back pain, to obtain more information about spinal degenerative diseases. Websites of medical practitioners specializing in degenerative disc disorders, such as the Central Texas Spine Institute, furnish comprehensive information that gives deeper insight about the causes and appropriate treatments for spinal degeneration.