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‘It gives you more to life, it's something new every day’: an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of wellbeing in older care home residents who keep a personal pet

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2020

Shoshanna Freedman ,
Petia Paramova  and
Victoria Senior Open the ORCID record for Victoria Senior [Opens in a new window]
Shoshanna Freedman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, School of Health, BPP University, London, UK
Petia Paramova
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, School of Health, BPP University, London, UK
Victoria Senior*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, School of Health, BPP University, London, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

There is a substantial amount of literature that suggests that animals, and specifically animals kept as pets, can have a positive effect on wellbeing. Research exploring the impact of animals on wellbeing in care homes mainly concerns visiting animals as well as shared communal pets. In light of the lack of research regarding personal pets in care homes, the aim of this study was to explore what the experience of keeping a personal pet in a care home means for residents’ sense of wellbeing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven care home residents who were currently living with their pet in a care home. Interviews were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Analysis revealed four master themes deemed to be relevant to participants’ wellbeing. these were: ‘sense of self and identity’, ‘responsibility and ownership’, ‘motivation and desire to live’ and ‘feeling content in the care home’. The analysis indicated that living with a personal pet in a care home has the potential to enhance residents’ wellbeing. At the same time, it also found that the benefits of keeping a personal pet may be dependent on specific circumstances, such as the attitudes of staff and fellow residents at the care home. This study indicates that it may be advisable for more care homes to accept personal pets.

Keywords

older peoplepetscare homesInterpretative Phenomenological Analysiswellbeing
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 41 , Issue 9 , September 2021 , pp. 1961 - 1983
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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