As part of Creative Ageing public seminar series

We seek comfort from other beings, which in the absence of other humans often finds a solution in relationships with dogs. The positivity for health is particularly relevant to the elderly, who may be especially isolated and emotionally vulnerable. Although sharing one’s life with a dog gives purpose and comfort, it also brings anxieties regarding care and separation should that relationship change or cease. For the elderly, this concerns being worried for the dog’s fate should they be separated by entering housing or care facilities, or by illness or death. This seminar discusses the dilemma of leaving a ‘burden’ through the art project ‘Dogs and the Elderly,’ which analyses the importance of the interspecies relationships for physical and emotional health and wellbeing.University of Derb