| Your new best friend |
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| Written by Marion Shoard, 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 SupportTwo big issues if you have a pet and are getting on is what to do with the pet if you have to move somewhere that does not accept pets, whether suddenly into hospital, or long-term into a care home. The second is vets' fees.Although there is no NHS for pets, we are extremely fortunate in having nationwide organisations that help people of modest means should their pets become injured or ill. The Blue Cross and the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA) provide medical treatment for pets free at their own hospitals and they also reimburse the fees charged by private veterinary practices. To qualify for help from such organisations you need to demonstrate that your income is low. The most straightforward way of doing this is to show that you receive a means-tested benefit, such as council tax benefit, housing benefit or the guarantee element of pension credit. However, if you are of modest means and do not receive such a benefit, it is still worth approaching these organisations. Ring up the national office of each and talk through whether it has a clinic near you or, if not, what other help it could provide. The third organisation you could try is the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The RSPCA provides similar help to the Blue Cross and the PDSA at RSPCA hospitals and private veterinary practices except that it does not cover the whole cost of treatment and the amount of financial help varies between the local branches that provide it. There are also differences between these three organisations in the costs they are prepared to cover in addition to those for medical treatment. The Blue Cross, which is particularly keen to keep down the numbers of stray animals, will pay for neutering; some RSPCA branches will help with the costs of neutering or micro-chipping; the PDSA will subsidise but not pay the whole cost of neutering, flea treatments, micro-chipping, de-worming and vaccination. The Cinnamon Trust is a little-known charity that offers different support from the mainstream pets organisations: it seeks to help elderly people look after their pets should they become ill or incapacitated. Volunteers scattered across the country provide practical help when some aspect of pet care poses a problem, from the management of a cat's litter trays or the cleaning out of a budgie's cage to walking a dog or fostering a pet whose owner has to go into hospital. Help is free, non-means-tested and short-term or long-term. The Trust also offers two other invaluable services. It publishes a directory of care homes that accept pets. Also, it offers a scheme whereby elderly (or younger, terminally-ill) owners can ensure that the Trust takes over responsibility for their pet should it outlive them. In this eventuality, the Trust finds a foster home for the pet, while itself caring for very infirm pets at 'home-from-home' sanctuaries with settees and attractive gardens. If you are in hospital, you may want to see if Pets as Therapy (PAT) is operating in your area. This scheme has 4,500 dogs and 90 cats that, with their volunteer owners, visit people in hospitals, hospices, schools and care homes. Only dogs that pass tests covering health, temperament and behaviour can enter the scheme. Care homes and sheltered housingWhether a retirement housing scheme or a care home accepts residents' pets can be of enormous importance. It can be heartbreaking to move into new surroundings bereft of the company of your pet because the scheme operates a 'no pets' policy, as many do. The challenge of settling into a care home or a retirement flat is compounded by grieving over loss.If a housing scheme or care home looks otherwise attractive but pets are barred, it is worth challenging the rule, particularly if live-in staff keep pets themselves. At the same time, offer suggestions on how your pet could be managed, thus countering possible practical objections. Pets can be especially rewarding for people with dementia, since they are affectionate and do not discriminate against sufferers (as human beings often do). Pets can bolster a sufferer's self-esteem, both through interaction but also by providing the opportunity to give care. Frena Gray-Davidson, the author of The Alzheimer's Sourcebook for Caregivers, recommends that carers who are looking after somebody with dementia should seriously consider obtaining a pet, such as an adult cat. Marion Shoard writes and lectures on older people's issues. Her new book Later Life: A Guide will be published in 2009. Further details of her work can be found on her website, at www.marionshoard.co.uk Contact details
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