And there are other marked health benefits to consider, according to this MD specializing in gerontology.
As if you needed another reason to love your pet, a Cleveland Clinic doctor is suggesting one way to get through the last of these winter blues is to snuggle up to your furry friend. In fact, it’s been scientifically shown that this special relationship can observably improve key health functions.
One that’s of growing interest is on memory and cognition—Kenneth Koncilja, MD, says having a pet has been “linked to improvements in memory.” Dr. Koncilja specializes in geriatric medicine.
The reasoning behind it is paws-down worth a read, as Dr. Koncilja explains there are “task-oriented things you have to do to care for your cat, or a dog, or a different pet.” Think of how the chore of feeding them is part of the flow of your mornings, or how walking them helps ground your daily routine.
Dr. Koncilja adds that these caregiving tasks further provide “purpose and meaning and everything that you’re doing when you are caring for somebody else.” This, he says, also fights the kind of loneliness and isolation that can lead to concerning health problems—and even death.
Then, of course, there’s the physical activity. Walking has epic effects on general health, including cognition—but even if that’s not part of your pet care routine, the functional results of bending to feed a pet, lifting them close, or sliding the door open to let them out takes some strength and agility. And that’s nothing to dismiss, as Dr. Koncilja says pet care can help “fight disability and frailty that happens with too much spending time on the couch.”
Dr. Koncilja also suggests it’s not essential for your pet to be a dog or cat—plenty of others in the animal kingdom can be loyal companions, too. And, if you’re not able to have a pet, volunteering at a shelter or greeting one in the neighborhood can be beneficial, too—just be sure to check with the handler that the animal is welcoming of interaction.
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