Calls for aged care homes to lift ban on pets
Rolf, 78, would rather die than leave his four cats, but there are no aged care homes that will allow them. He’s one of many elderly Australians risking their health to stay with their pets.
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TVTranscript
00:00 What if you had to give up this guy to move into aged care?
00:07 Ruby, I'm not giving you away.
00:11 Rolf Jerich won't move into aged care without his cats.
00:16 That would be the worst thing that could happen to me.
00:18 Ruby!
00:19 In Tasmania, there are no aged care facilities that allow pets.
00:23 If I feel depressed or anything, and they come and they seem to feel it, one of them
00:29 always comes.
00:31 Despite evidence showing that pets improve mental and physical health in older people,
00:36 only one in five aged care homes in Australia even consider allowing them.
00:40 As much as we'd love to enable our residents in the residential care to bring their pets
00:45 in, the risks to them, our staff and other residents is too high.
00:50 Glenn Hardwick is CEO of Christian Homes Tasmania. He says that it's a complicated issue due
00:56 to the frailty of some residents.
00:59 There's multiple reasons about hygiene, looking after the pet, litter trays, the smell, the
01:04 residents walking corridors without any trip hazards.
01:08 But they do offer the next best thing.
01:13 This is Ruby. A carer brings her in from their farm.
01:18 Pet therapy is something we do encourage. The interaction with the residents is very
01:24 clearly to their benefit, both emotionally and physically.
01:28 And I like it when Cassie brings the animals in.
01:30 One group of aged care homes in Victoria not only allows pets, it encourages residents
01:36 to bring them with them, as long as they are able to look after them.
01:40 They're giving up a lot to move into care, so this is just one less thing that people
01:44 have to give up.
01:46 The number of aged care residents in Australia continues to grow.
01:50 Moving forward, it can become more of an issue that people will not go into care unless they
01:54 can bring their pet.
01:56 Rolf hopes that more nursing homes consider pets.
01:59 It would make it easier, I believe, for a lot of people who've got no other way but
02:04 ending up in a nursing home.
02:05 [no audio]