Can I Have Pets in my SDA Home?
Here at Everhomes, we’re pet people. Dogs, cats, birds - we love them all. One of our staff members has even developed a relationship with the local wallabies that waltz up to her backyard! Pets make you feel good, and we think that if anyone loves them like we do they shouldn’t have to separate from them when you move into an SDA home. If you want to live with your pet, you have all the rights in the world to do so!
More than Just a Pet…
We’re all familiar with the concept of assistance and services animals such as therapy dogs, but these furry friends can do so much more for our health that we can even realise, particularly for people with cognitive impairments. Having a pet around the house can even improve mental well-being, and this isn’t just exclusive to the most common types – even owning a goldfish has been proven to benefit mental health!
For people with Alzheimer’s disease, studies show that pet ownership can positively affect daily living activities, reduce cognitive deficiencies, and slow overall disease progression. Even for people with dementia, having pets around the house reduced fall risk and improved reported quality of life over a long period of time.
A recently published paper exploring the relationship between pets and people with Autism Spectrum Disorder found numerous benefits to pet ownership. Motivation to go outside and do more exercise improved because of feeling responsible for the health of pets. Pets also allowed for calming interactions where the sensory benefits of stroking fur, or being able to vent without expecting a response, improved mental health in times of stress. People with Autistic Spectrum Disorder also reported an appreciation for their pets in the realm of social interactions – where being accompanied by a pet in conversations with neurotypicals felt safer and more natural because they were brief and allowed for an easy escape if needed. Pairing this with confidence of having learnt how to read the behaviour of other living beings, individuals developed enough self-confidence to interact with neurotypicals in a variety of settings.
The benefits of pet ownership are large and many, ranging from the physical to the social, which is why Everhomes will be more than happy to accommodate for tenants with pets. We might even swing by for a play when we get the chance! If you are interested in finding an accessible and comfortable home for you and your animal companion, contact us now to book an inspection of one of our many properties.
**As of October 1st 2022 the QLD Rental Legislation was updated so that property owners can no longer impose a blanket “no pets” policy. These changes have introduced a framework to support negotiations between landlords and tenants who would have pets or would like to have one during their tenancy. For more information on the new legislation and how to go about requesting pet approval for your home, click here. **
