
Pet-Friendly Aged Care fact sheet
Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world, but far too few aged care settings permit people to keep or have access to a pet.
Our objective
To keep people and pets together for as long as it provides the best health outcome for the animal and its owner.
Why it matters
- The health benefits of the human-animal bond are widely accepted
- Pet ownership decreases feelings of loneliness and isolation
- Aged care take-up by elderly people will increase if allowed to keep a pet
- Surrendering of pets to animal shelters will decrease
The state of play
- 3 in 5 Australian households have a pet
- Only 1 in 5 aged care facilities permit pet ownership
- By 2026, there will be more than 3.5m Australians over the age of 70
- Loneliness costs Australia $2.7b each year
- Government funding to assist pet ownership for the elderly is absent
Australians are ageing, but our aged care sector isn’t keeping up
What individuals can do
- Lobby for laws and funding that benefit pet ownership in aged care
- Complete a survey to help us build our knowledge
- If you’re a pet lover, volunteer your time to an aged care facility
- Keep the movement purring with a donation
- Stay connected to Pet-Friendly Aged Care on Facebook and Twitter
What aged care facilities can do
- Survey resident demand for pet-friendly services
- Review the resources and guidance at petfriendlyagedcare.com.au
- Complete a survey to help us build our knowledge
- Lobby for laws and funding that benefit pet ownership in aged care
Pets decrease feelings of loneliness and isolation
Who we are
The Pet-Friendly Aged Care programme is operated by Companion Animal Network Australia (CANA), a registered charity representing the companion animal welfare work of our six member agencies.
CANA members provide rescue, shelter, re-homing, fostering, health care and enrichment services to more than 55,000 animals every year.