It seems as if almost every senior living community has a dog or a cat. It has become kind of the thing to do and it is a good thing for residents, staff and family.

By Steve Moran

It seems as if almost every senior living community has a dog or a cat. It has become kind of the thing to do and it is a good thing for residents, staff and family. I have always kind of thought it could be even better but had not a clue as to how or why until I saw the upworthy video.

No, Senior Living Is Not Like A Prison

While more often than we would like, senior living is described . . . even by residents, as like being in a prison. There is no similarity save one. It is easy for prisons and senior living communities to become places of purposeless living.   

When communities focus on creating ongoing opportunities for purposeful living and encourage and inspire residents to live with purpose three things happens:

  1. Residents live longer

  2. They require less staff resources

  3. They are happier

It is also likely these communities attract younger residents. All of these things increase the bottom line and improve staff satisfaction.

Service Dogs and Senior Living

I have no idea if anyone has tried it or if it would even work, but I find myself thinking a senior living community, maybe even a dementia community, could take on the training of one or a few service dogs and that it would be transformative for the community. And, in case you need more motivation, it would make for a compelling public interest story.