I have read one , and only one article about service dogs and Alzheimers patients. Having been a dog person all my life I am quite convinced there will be a period of time between needing constant care and just being anxious about leaving a person with Alzheimers alone. I think a service dog would be able to fill this gap but I need to have information from more than one source. Any people with experience out there?
Service dogs are in short supply and high demand. They should go to those who can use them to lead productive lives.
Therapy animals, on the other hand, could be ideal for someone with dementia. I think they'd have to 'visit' rather than live with someone because you couldn't leave the dog's well-being dependent upon someone who may not be able to reliably manage to feed and care for them.
Though I would never leave the dog alone with mom, she would most likely tend to over feed or let the dog out. She has truly been a blessing. I never would have gotten a puppy though, it had to be a well mannered older dog.
Our Editor wrote an article recently regarding service dogs for Alzheimer's. Please see the link attached. I hope you find the information you are looking for here.
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/guide-dogs-for-people-with-alzheimers-153469.htm
Warm regards,
Melissa R.
The AgingCare.com Team