Research investigates the role of pet ownership in the maintenance of cognitive function in older adults.

Cognitive function is an umbrella term which covers a range of mental abilities needed to effectively navigate our daily lives, including problem solving, memory, learning and attention. As people age, they tend to experience a decline in their cognitive abilities due to a combination of biological, neurological and lifestyle factors.

With a global aging population, supporting healthy aging has become a public health priority for many countries. Since many older adults own pets, a recent study investigated the role that pet ownership plays in maintaining cognitive health in older owners, revealing slower deterioration in several areas.

New research into cognitive aging

By utilising data collected by the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging (BLSA), the study investigated the impact of dog and cat ownership on cognitive function in a sample of 637 generally healthy older adults (50-100 years) over a 1–13-year period. The sample included 84 dog owners and 67 cat owners.

Participants were compared on a range of cognitive function assessments, revealing that pet owners experienced a slower decline in cognitive performance than non-owners. In particular, pet owners showed less deterioration in memory, executive function, language function, and processing speed than non-owners. Dog ownership was generally shown to be superior to cat ownership, but cat owners still demonstrated better memory and language functions than non-owners.

Amongst dog owners, owners that walk their dogs experienced even less cognitive decline in some areas, including short-term recall compared to owners that did not walk their dogs, suggesting that dog walking further improves cognitive resilience. However, it cannot be ruled out that owners stopped walking their dogs due to a decline in cognitive function, rather than dog walking protecting it.

The role of pets in healthy aging

The results of the study suggest that pet ownership, especially dog ownership and dog walking, can help maintain cognitive function in older adults as they age. This finding lends support to the growing body of evidence championing the physical and mental benefits of pets, particularly amongst vulnerable populations.

Pets may support owners’ cognitive function through several mechanisms, including reducing stress, enhancing social interactions and increasing physical activity, which have been linked to pet ownership in previous research. However, further research is needed to fully understand the relationship between pet ownership and the maintenance of cognitive function in older adults.

Together this research highlights the importance of including pets in healthcare strategies for healthy aging in older adults. It also calls attention to the need for more pet-friendly policies, helping to keep pets and people together in later life, including pet-friendly care homes.

Key study findings:

• Pet ownership may help maintain cognitive function in older adults
• In particular, dog ownership and dog walking was found to be particularly beneficial
• This findings emphasises the importance of pets in healthy aging strategies
• More research is needed to understand the mechanism of action