Available Pets
Pet owners need to be alert to any danger, especially around children. In many cases a patient’s problem behavior is a reaction to the stressed response of the primary caretaker. Cats or caged animals may be more suitable than dogs, which generally require more care and can add to the burden of someone who’s already looking after an Alzheimer’s patient. A year-long study at the Wellness Institute at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago found that walking an overweight dog helped both the animals and their owners shed unwanted pounds. Researchers found that the dogs provided support in similar ways to a …