HABRI Hosts Virtual Lecture on the Impact of a Shelter Cat Fostering Program on the Mental Health of Older Adults Living Alone | HABRI

HABRI Hosts Virtual Lecture on the Impact of a Shelter Cat Fostering Program on the Mental Health of Older Adults Living Alone

Second Session in IDEXX Sponsored Lecture Series Highlights Research on the Human-Animal Bond for Older Adults and the Importance of Veterinary Medicine

Washington, D.C. (January 21, 2021) — The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) and IDEXX held a virtual lecture on the impact of a shelter cat fostering program on the health and wellbeing of older adults living independently alone. This was the second in a planned series of lectures, sponsored by IDEXX, to highlight impactful scientific research on the health benefits of the human-animal bond and the importance of veterinary medicine in strengthening human-animal bonds.

In this lecture, “The Impact of a Feline Fostering Program for Older Adults Living Alone”, Dr. Sherry Sanderson, BS, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVIM, Dipl ACVN, Associate Professor at the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, discussed the main aims and shared preliminary results of her ongoing HABRI-funded study, “Healthy Aging: Human Companionship Through Fostering Felines”, which have indicated that participation in the foster cat program decreases loneliness in older adults.

“IDEXX is proud to sponsor this human-animal bond lecture and to provide pet owners and veterinarians with tangible, real-world examples of how the human-animal bond can improve lives in both humans and companion animals in need,” said Kerry Bennett, Corporate Vice President, IDEXX.

Funded by HABRI, “Healthy Aging: Human Companionship Through Fostering Felines” aims to determine if fostering a shelter cat, with the option for adoption, improves the mental health and emotional health of older adults living alone. In addition, Dr. Sanderson and her research team are assessing the impact of feline fostering on older adults interest in and commitment to adopting their foster cat, as well as evaluating the feline fostering program as a sustainable partnership between the University of Georgia and community partners. Preliminary results indicate that participants experience a decrease in loneliness at one- and four-months post placement of the foster cat, and that the level of comfort participants receive from their cats continually increases the longer they are with their cat. 

“HABRI is grateful for IDEXX for their continued sponsorship of this lecture series which serves as a wonderful opportunity to reach a broad audience of pet owners and animal health professionals interested in the science of the human-animal bond,” said Steven Feldman, President of HABRI. “IDEXX also supports HABRI’s research program, which is demonstrating that pets play a vital role in not only supporting the health and wellbeing of older adults, but also in improving the lives of all pet owners and the communities where they live.”

Professionals who register and view this session are eligible to receive RACE-approved Continuing Education (CE) credit through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).

The lecture will remain available on-demand at http://www.habri.org/HAB-Lectures. The first lecture in the Human-Animal Bond Lecture Series, “The Efficacy of Service Dogs for Veterans with PTSD”, which HABRI hosted on Veterans Day, November 11, 2020, is also available on-demand at http://www.habri.org/HAB-Lectures. 

About HABRI

HABRI is a not-for-profit organization that maintains the world’s largest online library of human-animal bond research and information; funds innovative research projects to scientifically document the health benefits of companion animals; and informs the public about human-animal bond research and the beneficial role of companion animals in society. For more information, please visit https://www.habri.org/. 

About IDEXX

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. is a member of the S&P 500® Index and is a leader in pet healthcare innovation, serving practicing veterinarians around the world with a broad range of diagnostic and information technology-based products and services. IDEXX products enhance the ability of veterinarians to provide advanced medical care, improve staff efficiency, and build more economically successful practices. IDEXX is also a worldwide leader in providing diagnostic tests and information for livestock and poultry, tests for the quality and safety of water and milk, and point-of-care and laboratory diagnostics for human medicine. For more information, please visit https://www.idexx.com/en/. 

Contact

Jamie Baxter

jamie@theimpetusagency.com

775.322.4022

###

Press Releases
Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group™ Supports Human-Animal Bond Research

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today that Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group™, one of the oldest U.S. providers of pet health insurance, has become an official supporter of HABRI and its research on the human health benefits of companion animals. “For twenty years, we’ve been committed to helping people get access to reliable and affordable pet insurance coverage,” said Bob Capobianco, Senior Vice President, Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group. “Supporting HABRI research is important because it connects the positive impact that pets play in our lives, and closely aligns with the work we do to help pets live longer and healthier.” “HABRI is thrilled to welcome Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group as a supporter,” said Steven Feldman, Executive Director of HABRI. “From HABRI research, we know that pets are considered part of the family, and that the growing importance of pets in our lives has driven demand for pet-inclusive policies and benefits at home, in the workplace, and beyond. Pet health insurance plays a key role in strengthening the human-animal bond and supporting the needs of our furry family members, and HABRI is thrilled to be working with Crum & Forster to help more people and pets benefit from healthy human-animal bonds.” Scientific evidence increasingly shows that pets improve heart health, alleviate depression, increase well-being, support child health and development, and contribute to healthy aging. In addition, companion animals can assist in the treatment of a broad range of conditions from post-traumatic stress to Alzheimer’s disease to autism spectrum disorder. The benefits of the human-animal bond impact more than just human health. Findings from a recent HABRI survey of 2,000 pet owners demonstrate that knowledge of the scientific research on the human-animal bond motivates pet owners to take better care of their pets. From providing pets with higher quality nutrition to purchasing...

Press Releases
Email Reminder + Dog = Increased Physical Activity

The Human Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI) Foundation today announced the results of a study exploring the effects of an email mediated intervention to increase walking in dog owners and non-dog owners, conducted by researchers at Purdue University and published in the journal Clinical Nursing Research. Findings of the study showed that a simple email intervention sharing the importance of walking and the positive impact of walking on a dog’s health were effective tools to promote walking. These interventions caused participants to increase and maintain dog walking over a 12-month period. Email intervention for non-dog owners also increased weekly minutes of walking compared with baseline measures and control groups, however dog owners accumulated significantly more walking minutes per week than non-dog owners. “Walking is an easy, accessible way to increase physical activity, which is important for the health of people and their pets,” said the principal investigator on the study, Elizabeth A. Richards, PhD, RN, CHES, of Purdue University. “Because an email reminder is so simple, these findings should be easy to replicate, encouraging dog owners and non-dog owners alike to lead more physically active lifestyles.” Participants assigned to the intervention group received a twice-weekly email message for the first four weeks of the intervention followed by weekly email messages for the next eight weeks. The emails attempted to influence confidence through a variety of mechanisms which the investigators hypothesized would directly influence dog walking for dog owners and walking for non-dog owners. Previous studies have supported that dog owners who walk their dogs are motivated to do so because of dog-related support for walking. A number of dog-owner participants in this study anecdotally reported that their ability to maintain behavior change in physical activity was in part due to the dog expecting a walk and conditioning the owner to comply. “With...

Press Releases
New Research to Study Impacts of Animal-Assisted Interventions for Youth in Residential Treatment Program

The Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) announced today it has awarded a grant to the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver for a new study, Exploring the impacts of animal-assisted interventions on positive youth development for adolescents in residential treatment. The study aims to better understand the clinical, behavioral and educational impacts of the Animal-Assisted Intervention (AAI) programs at Green Chimneys, a therapeutic school and treatment center for children facing social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. “In conducting this study, we hope to better understand the impacts of the Green Chimneys AAI programs on student outcomes from the perspectives of the students who regularly participate in them,” explained the study’s Principal Investigator, Kevin Morris, PhD, Director of Research of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection, University of Denver. “The findings from this project will be combined with an array of other qualitative and quantitative studies underway at Green Chimneys, which we hope will create a more detailed understanding of the impacts of these programs.” The research team, led by Dr. Morris and Dr. Megan Mueller, Co-Director of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction, and including Erin Flynn, MSW, and Jaci Gandenberger, MSW, both from the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver, will conduct semi-structured interviews with 20 5th-7th grade Green Chimneys students across both residential and day programs. After conducting the interviews, key themes will be identified and reviewed for common meanings and then grouped together via identified constitutive content that links the themes to one another. These student themes will be combined with the findings of previous qualitative studies conducted with Green Chimneys teaching, clinical and animal program staff to create a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms by which...

HABRI