2023-10-03 16:58:14
In the lonely and sick elderly, “the pet on the one hand and Animal-Assisted Interventions (IAA) on the other are a great resource that we hope to implement vigorously in our country. A real therapy for the elderly which involves a global geriatric approach to the health of our elderly”. This was said by Andrea Ungar, president of Veteris today in the Senate, at the presentation of the guidelines on Iaa for the well-being and health of the elderly, carried out, about a year after its birth, by Veteris, an association of veterinary medicine and human medicine. The aim of the document is to define the specific methods of carrying out animal-assisted interventions aimed at the geriatric population, an integral part of our society and an increasingly wider segment of the world population.
In 2030 – recalls a note – more than 24% of the European population will be over 65, but in Italy, currently, more than 13 million inhabitants are over 65. For people with chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and depression, owning a pet, together with proper nutrition, can lead to annual savings of around 4 billion euros for the National Health Service. “It comes from the union of the forces and knowledge of geriatricians and veterinary doctors, experts in animal-assisted interventions, to help the elderly who are sick and increasingly alone”, comments Senator Francesco Zaffini, president of the X Commission for Social Affairs, Health , public and private work, social security, during the event. “According to these experts – he continues – contact with animals can contribute to significantly improving the quality of life of lonely and frail elderly people. For this reason I am confident for the birth of the Veteris association, one of the first concrete expressions that constitutes a practical application of One Health in Italy”.
The association is the first, on national and European territory, to promote animal-assisted interventions for the over 65 population for preventive, therapeutic purposes and to improve the quality of life. “The health benefits that are obtained by living with animals and Iaa – recalls Professor Chiara Mussi, geriatrician and founding member of Veteris – are supported by scientific data published in international journals: therefore, we are not talking about ‘alternative medicine ‘, but of complementary therapy”.
The benefits of the relationship between man and pet (companion animal, ed.) “have always been known and well documented by numerous studies and publications such as, for example, on the Iaa – observes Marco Melosi, Vice-President of Veteris – More rarely has wanted to delve deeper into how these benefits manifested themselves in the interaction between pet and elderly person, especially those with cognitive deficits. A group of veterinary doctors and geriatricians decided to pool their strengths and knowledge to evaluate and explore the real benefits of this coexistence by founding Veteris, the first scientific company with the desire to document the benefits of senior-pet interaction. “and make them increasingly effective in this particular social segment”.
“In line with the One Health approach and the circularity of human and animal health – reflects Daria Santarelli, founding member of Veteris – In the coming years the association will undertake to actively promote animal-assisted interventions in the area. We have several studies planned to monitor the positive implications on health and above all many activities, in collaboration with public and private structures, to improve the quality of life of our elderly”.
The role of the industry is as important as that of associations such as Veteris in carrying forward this vision which guarantees the protection of health and, at the same time, creates sustainability and sharing of knowledge. “The ‘One Health’ approach – One health / one science – has always been a founding pillar of our company – states Paolo Sani, CEO of MSD Animal Health Italia – such as affirming and promoting the role of disease prevention zoonotic diseases is the veterinary surgeon’s key to ensuring the well-being of animals and humans. The birth of Veteris represents for us – adds Sani – an epochal turning point, precisely because it is a tangible example of a correct application of the One Health approach to safeguard collective health. This is why we have decided to support it by remaining alongside veterinary doctors and geriatricians in this important role of guarantors of the well-being of the most fragile people, who can and must – he concludes – get the best from coexistence and assisted interventions with animals, as demonstrated the numerous studies on the subject”. The address lines are available on the site:
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