Unwanted loneliness is a serious problem suffered by many older people who live alone and that can significantly interfere with their quality of life and health, but fortunately a pet can become their best company at home and help them recover. desire to go out and interact with others.
A new study published in JAMA Network Open has now shown that pet ownership not only prevents older adults from feeling lonely, but has been linked to slower rates of cognitive decline. The research has been carried out by scientists from Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, China, led by Yanzhi Li, who analyzed the association between having a pet and cognitive decline in 7,945 individuals over 50 years old – with an average age of 66.3 years – who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging.
The researchers found that pet ownership was associated with slower rates of verbal memory and verbal fluency decline among people who lived alone, but not among those who lived with other people. Owning a pet counteracted the association between living alone and decreased rates of memory and verbal fluency.
“These findings suggest that pet ownership may be associated with slower cognitive decline among older adults who live alone,” the authors write, adding that “randomized clinical trials are needed to evaluate whether pet ownership reduces the rate of decline.” cognitive in older adults who live alone.
Healthy aging to prevent or delay dementia
Older adults have a tendency to develop cognitive impairment, and the significant increase in life expectancy that comes with aging means that the deterioration of cognitive function in older adults has become a serious public health problem, since it is estimated that the number of people with dementia worldwide will increase from 57 million in 2019 to 153 million in 2050, according to the authors.
“These findings suggest that pet ownership may be associated with slower cognitive decline among older adults who live alone.”
“Impaired cognitive function not only seriously harms people’s well-being, but also places a huge burden on their caregivers, as well as society’s financial and healthcare systems. There is currently no effective therapy available to successfully reverse cognitive decline or treat dementia. Therefore, identifying high-risk populations and modifiable risk factors is crucial to formulate public health interventions and promote healthy aging,” they add.
