Salmon, A.J.; Pachana, N.A. Cultivating the Acceptance of Assistance Dogs in Aged Care through Deliberative Democracy. Animals2023, 13, 2680.
Salmon, A.J.; Pachana, N.A. Cultivating the Acceptance of Assistance Dogs in Aged Care through Deliberative Democracy. Animals 2023, 13, 2680.
Salmon, A.J.; Pachana, N.A. Cultivating the Acceptance of Assistance Dogs in Aged Care through Deliberative Democracy. Animals2023, 13, 2680.
Salmon, A.J.; Pachana, N.A. Cultivating the Acceptance of Assistance Dogs in Aged Care through Deliberative Democracy. Animals 2023, 13, 2680.
Abstract
Assistance dogs provide significant benefits to older adult owners. However, despite protective legislation, aged care facilities continue to not allow owners to retain their dog on relocation. The purpose of the current study was to explore whether older adults should be allowed to retain their dog on relocation to an aged care facility, and what factors should impact this decision. Further, if allowed to retain their dog, what would be the best practice to allow for this. A deliberative democracy methodology was used, with a range of key stakeholders recruited. Focus groups were held, with follow up questionnaire to establish deliberation for all questions. Results indicated that with sufficient objective measurement, fair decisions can be made to ensure the welfare and wellbeing for owner and dog. Key policy and procedure changes would also be necessary to ensure ongoing support, such as training, care plans, and emergency directives. By ensuring sufficient policies and procedures are in place, training and support could lead to an ideal outcome where facilities could be at the forefront of a better future for aged care.
Keywords
assistance dogs; aged care; older adults; regulation; support
Subject
Social Sciences, Psychology
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
