Pets As Service Animals For Seniors And the Physically Handicapped

As people get too old, they find it difficult to even doodor changes in the body which helps to determine
daily chores at home. Such people especially, require ahypoglycemia or low blood glucose. Another type of
helping hand. Animals can be trained to become greatservice dogs is seizure response dog. They help
domestic help. Along with helping they also can providepatients with epilepsy or seizure disorder. They help to
great companionship. The most preferable pets areseek help in case of emergency, block the handler
dogs. Cats are kept as pets to provide company towith absence seizures, pull dangerous objects away
people like senior citizens who are stressed out or arefrom the body, and wake up the unconscious patient.
heart patients, blood pressure patients, so as to helpThey are also trained to use a pre-programmed
them beat stress. Even exotic pets such as capuchinphone. They also provide physical and emotional
monkeys are trained for this purpose. Not only aresupport and also carry information about the
they big help for senior citizens but as well as for thepatient’s medical condition.
physically handicapped such as blind people andService dogs are also trained to help people with
quadriplegics.psychiatric disabilities such as schizophrenia, bipolar
Service dogs are dogs are specially trained dogs fordisorder, anxiety disorder, depressive disorder, autism,
patients with disabilities. The hearing dog is a specialand post traumatic stress disorder. They alert the
kind of service dog which are trained to help thehandler to take medicines, and also help people having
hearing impaired and deaf people. They help by alertinghallucinations, paranoia or alerting behaviors. They also
the disabled when it hears important sounds such asact as a brace and help to retrieve objects. Dogs
phone rings, doorbells, alarm clocks and smoke alarms.which help the visually impaired people or blind people
They are of great help not only within the house, butare known as guide dogs. They help the handler to
also outdoors. They alert the handler when someonewalk around obstacles. But the disadvantage here is
calls out the person’s name, approaching sirens,that dogs are partially color blind. They cannot see red
and forklifts. Hearing dogs can be recognized by theand green color, so they cannot help the blind with
bright orange leash and collar they are made to wear.traffic signals. They even cannot be trained to interpret
Sometimes they even wear a jacket or a cape whichstreet signs. Guide horses are also employed to help
can be of any color.people who are blind and who do not prefer guide
Some service dogs are also trained as mobilitydogs. The horses are miniature horses. Some people
assistance dog to help a physically handicappedprefer horses because they live longer than the dogs.
person. They are trained to open and close doors, pickSome are also allergic or scared of dogs. But the
up things, and even turn on and off the switches. Dogsadvantage of keeping a guide dog is that they can live
with larger build are also trained to pull patients inwithin the house, but the horse needs to be kept in a
wheelchairs. They do this with the help of a specialbarn. Also horses cannot travel on public
harness which facilitates them to pull objects.transportations like a dog.
They are also trained as walker dogs, which are alsoCapuchin monkeys are also trained by some
nicknamed as living canes. They help patients withorganizations. They help the quadriplegics or patients
Parkinson’s disease and other disorders. Theywho have paralysis in all their four limbs. Initially they
assist their owners with the help of their gait and alsoshould be brought up with people with no disabilities
provide balance while walking. Incase the handler fallsand then after reaching a certain age; they can be
off, the dog helps to regain position by acting as agiven intense training and then transferred to the home
brace. All kinds of mobility assistance dogs are allowedof the quadriplegic. They can perform tasks such as
in areas where pet aren’t allowed, like in publicopening bottles, microwaving food and they even
places and transportations.wash the face of their owner. They are also very
Dogs are also trained for assisting people with Type 1friendly animals and are safe for kids, too.
diabetes. They are service dogs trained to smell the