Pets and Solo Aging: What to Consider

Are you considering getting a pet? Do you already own one? Katelyn (Weyrauch) Schunkewitz, MSW, Care Coordinator with Friends Life Care, covers topics older adults and solo agers may wish to consider before and during pet ownership like the benefits of having a pet, things to think about before getting a pet, resources for ownership, and more.

Katelyn (Weyrauch) Schunkewitz is a Care Coordinator with Friends Life Care. Katelyn holds a Master’s degree in Social Work and has been in the healthcare field for six years. During this time, she has worked with interdisciplinary teams in rehabilitation and nursing centers and held positions on short-term, long-term, and dementia units.

Resources: Benefits of Animal Bond:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/pets-can-help-their-humans-create-friendships-find-social-support-201505067981 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3944143/

For adaptable pet equipment:

https://techowlpa.org/kb/pet-care/ Pet ownership considerations: https://www.adaptivepetstrategies.com/choosing-a-pet/

For adoption:

Local animal shelter

Grey Nose Society

Senior Paws and Pets for the Elderly https://petsfortheelderly.org/ https://www.pawsacrosspittsburgh.com/seniors

Sitting, Grooming, and Pet Care Services: WAG, Rover, Care.com, DogVacay, local mobile vet and mobile groomer services

Pet therapy/Visiting services: https://www.tdi-dog.org/ https://petsfortheelderly.org/ https://www.pawsforpeople.org/

Katelyn (Weyrauch) Schunkewitz:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kweyrauch/

https://www.friendslifecare.org/about-us/care-coordinators/katelyn-schunkewitz/

Virtual pet app:

https://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2021/12/16/murphy-cares-pet-therapy-app/

Mobile veterinarian:

https://vetster.com/en-us

https://housepaws.us/mobile-vet/

https://homeridgemobilevet.com/pa/

https://myinhomevet.com/

(C) 2023 Friends Life Care. All Rights Reserved.

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