Powell River chapter of ElderDog helps seniors and their dogs

qathet resident Sidney Clare is happy to be the leader of the new local “Pawd” for the Powell River chapter of ElderDog (local groups are called Pawds). 

ElderDog Canada is, "dedicated to aging people, aging dogs and the important connection they enjoy," states a mission statement on the organization’s website. 

Clare, along with volunteer Joanne Doucet, recently represented ElderDog at City of Powell River’s Health and Wellness Fair, which took place last month at Powell River Recreation Complex. 

"There is quite extensive training that goes into becoming a volunteer," said Clare. "Volunteers are not just seniors, they could be young people as well."

ElderDog was started by university professor and researcher Dr. Ardra Cole, and inspired by her research in the area of caregiving and Alzheimer’s disease.

"It became quite clear during that research that the family dog had an important role to play in people's older adult illness, and also to their family members," said Cole. "I also had a therapy dog, and we visited palliative care [facilities] for people at the end of life, and it was pretty important to them. Tattoo [her now deceased therapy dog] provided a lot of comfort in emotionally charged situations."

Cole said it was the sudden death of her brother, who left behind a chocolate labrador named Mister Brown, that spurred the idea to create the charity dedicated to the well-being and happiness of elderly folks, and the happiness and well-being of old dogs. 

"I took [Mister Brown] in to live with me and my dog," said Cole. "Those experiences, personal and professional, prompted me to think about what I could do to make a difference to help older adults with their dogs and old dogs who need new homes."

Cole said that although Mister Brown had a terminal disease, he found a new lease on life when he came to live in the countryside with her family.

"When I was doing the research, the dogs were quite happy at home with their loved ones, but the plans for them afterwards, [when the person could no longer care for their dog] were not in place," said Cole. "In further research I found that old dogs don't do well in a shelter, and people don't line up to adopt an old dog." 

Cole said most people looking for a new dog want a puppy but with older people it's the opposite. 

"So, it was coming to understand the needs in the community, both for older people in order to keep their dogs and older people who would like to have a dog," she added.

Cole said, unfortunately, old age is when people can become more isolated and families may not be around, and so the dog is often the seniors' only companion. This is where ElderDog volunteers come in.

"Our dog care support program is the most labour intensive because people who are living at home with a dog usually have mobility issues or transportation issues and may need extra help," said Cole. "Our volunteers walk the dogs, take dogs to appointments such as grooming appointments or a vet appointment."

Cole also said volunteers also provide basic brushing, feeding and administering medication, if needed. 

Unfortunately, many dogs that end up in shelters are older and families may not want to adopt an older dog. However, Cole said many seniors do want an older canine companion, but are usually refused adoption of a dog because of their elderly age.

"It's one more ageism, right?" said Cole. "If they're not able to have a dog, then that's what contributes to their isolation and loneliness."

Another function of ElderDog Canada is to help with providing foster homes for dogs, for people who have emergencies. They also have a rehoming program for dogs if their human companion can no longer care for them.

"Sometimes we provide foster homes until we are able to find a permanent new home for [the dog]," said Cole. "Our rehoming process is very involved; we have people who do home-visits and background checks."

As for volunteers like Clare and Doucet, Cole said they are more involved on the coordination level and would have gone through a mentoring process.

"The volunteers are a real mix," said Cole. "We actually have a lot of people who have young children, and they want to volunteer."

Cole said most of the people ElderDog supports don't have family support around.

"Not always but it's predominantly the case that people are living alone and they don't have a strong support system, if any, sadly," said Cole. "So really, ElderDog becomes a lifeline for them."

To find out more information about ElderDog Canada, go to elderdog.ca/pawds/#contacts. The local group has a Facebook page that can be found at Elderdog Canada qathet Powell River. 

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