Dog-Walking Benefits Seniors
 New research shows that assisted living residents who walk dogs are more committed to the activity and reap better health results than those who choose to walk with other people. Dog walkers also tend to walk faster and exercise more consistently.University of Missouri researchers studied 54 assisted living residents for 12 weeks. One group of residents chose a friend or spouse to walk with daily along a trail laid out near the community. Another group of residents took a bus each day to a local animal shelter where they were assigned to a dog to walk. “To the surprise of the researchers, the dog walkers showed a big improvement in fitness, while the human walkers began making excuses to skip the workout. Walking speed among the dog walkers increased by 28 percent, compared to just a 4 percent increase among the human walkers,” reports The New York Times. Additionally, several resident in the dog-walking group stopped using canes and walkers as the study progressed. Researchers also plan to examine other areas in the study, including changes in depression or anxiety levels among residents. In a related item, USA Today reports on recent study published in the British Medical Journal about how examining seniors’ walking abilities can help physicians assess their health conditions and potential problems. Read “Your Health: Experts View Impaired Walking as a Disorder” in USA Today. Read “The Best Walking Partner: Man vs. Dog” in The New York Times. View more ALFA Update articles!Feedback
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