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CANA’s Status of Pets in Aged Care report also found that when it comes to older adults living at home, 91% of those with pets who receive a government-funded Home Care Package (HCP) do not receive support to help to care for their companion animal.
Trish Ennis, CANA’s chief executive, says, “While we’ve always recognised the benefits of owning a pet, our survey shows the Australian government and aged care providers have been slow to understand the enduring value of the human–animal bond for older people.”
Ms Ellis and her colleagues are calling for urgent action to keep older people and their pets together to ease loneliness and prevent unnecessary surrenders.