My parents would consider a senior community, but only if they could bring their dog.

We have good news for your parents: they can bring their dog with them if they select a pet-friendly senior community. Many retirement homes today, including Ecumenical Retirement Community, welcome pets because they have a positive effect on the lives of their senior caregivers.

The benefits of pets in retirement homes
Studies show that pets can help people improve their health and raise their spirits. Researchers believe that a care-taking role gives seniors a sense of responsibility and purpose that benefits their overall well-being. We have seen that first-hand in the joy and contentment of our senior pet owners.

Ecumenical Retirement Community in Harrisburg, PA is a senior living home that encourages new residents to bring their pets along to enhance their retirement lifestyle. Most pets reside in our independent living community, but we welcome pets into all lifestyle levels—independent living, personal care, memory care and restorative care. We also have house pets for everyone’s enjoyment, and we host trained therapy pets that make friendly visits to our residents.

Pet ownership is growing at senior communities
We’re not surprised that, more and more, seniors who live or contemplate living in retirement communities want to share their life with pets. A national pet owners survey released this year by the American Pet Products Association says that 65 percent of U.S. households own one or more pets, compared to 56 percent in 1988. With more people caring for pets, we can expect that more seniors will have pets and will want to include them in their senior lifestyle at a retirement community.

Residents value our Pet Care Program
Not only do we provide personalized, comprehensive care for our residents, but we extend the same effort to their pets, as well. With our individualized Pet Care Program, we help residents care for their pets according to their needs. Our pet care coordinators provide services including walking, feeding, changing litter, giving medication, brushing, cleaning and laundering. Our residents truly value these services. For example, during the worst weather of last winter, dog owners didn’t have to go out into the cold and risk falling on the ice. Instead, a pet care coordinator could supervise their dogs instead.

Have a pet? Ask questions … and visit us
If pet ownership is important to you when living in a retirement community in central Pennsylvania, we recommend that you ask questions about it before choosing a senior living home. A few suggested questions: What is your policy on pets? What are the limitations? Are there additional fees? Does your staff provide assistance with pets?

At Ecumenical Retirement Community, we pride ourselves in being senior-friendly, but we are definitely pet-friendly as well. Whether pet ownership is important to you or not, surely you have priorities and concerns to discuss if you are considering a move to a retirement home. Please contact us to request information or to schedule a visit. We’re proud of the services we offer to our residents, and we would love to show them to you first-hand.