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"Whoever takes the dog gets the house": How older adults negotiate, budget, and deploy resources for multispecies family health and well-being.

Jennifer W ApplebaumCarlyn Ellison
Published in: Social work in mental health (2023)
In this study, we interrogate the ways that older adult pet owners exercise their agency within the limits of their social statuses to allocate their resources for the management of the health needs of their multispecies families. Guided by fundamental cause theory, we consider how the participants' memberships in socially constructed categories can impact their experiences with household health management. We conducted focus groups with 30 community-dwelling older adults who owned pets. Using a thematic analytic approach, we found that the participants' bonds with their pets led them to negotiate priorities and make concessions for the benefit of the household.
Keyphrases
  • healthcare
  • mental health
  • public health
  • physical activity
  • health information
  • high intensity
  • human health
  • risk assessment
  • positron emission tomography
  • pet ct
  • body composition
  • pet imaging