“This is an extremely important measure,” underlines the president of the National Union of Establishments and Residences for the Elderly

The government gave the green light on Friday to welcoming pets into nursing homes. This allows in particular “residents not to be isolated and to have continuity compared to what they had in their former life”, welcomes the president of the National Union of establishments and residences for the elderly.

“It’s really a measure that is extremely important”, underlines Jean-Christophe Amarantinis, president of Synerpa (National Union of establishments and residences for the elderly), invited on franceinfo Friday March 1, while the government gave the green light to the reception of pets in nursing homes. On X, the Minister of Labor, Health and Solidarity, Catherine Vautrin said she was “favorable to opening the possibility in the law to accommodate pets in nursing homes” and invited parliamentarians “to take up this societal issue with a view to further humanizing our nursing homes”.

“It’s a measure that we asked for and it’s really a measure that is extremely important”, confirms Jean-Christophe Amarantinis. That “allows residents not to be isolated and to have continuity with what they had in their former life, it avoids a break between home and the establishment”. Residents can therefore better acclimatize and maintain their old lifestyle habits. Having animals in a nursing home “also allows people to fight against the loss of autonomy since we maintain an occupation, a routine and a responsibility also towards a living being”.

Another beneficial effect of the presence of animals: “avoid stress and isolation”he asserts, “since we know well that elderly people, and particularly when arriving in an establishment, are quite withdrawn. This allows social interactions with employees, with other residents, since the fact of having an animal with “We obviously want to discuss it. People ask questions, touch the animals, so it allows us to connect with other individuals.”

A regulation to respect

The law will however regulate the type of animals authorized, a priori only dogs, cats, fish and birds will be authorized. No more snakes or other new pets. For Jean-Christophe Amarantis, this is normal, because “we could imagine violent or aggressive animals which could cause problems, hence the interest in perfectly defining the type of animals that we could welcome”. Moreover, “Not everyone likes or is used to being around animals”.

Each establishment will therefore have to adapt “its organizational framework and its internal regulations to channel exactly the methods of reception and operation of all these little people who will live together”. However, it will not be possible to completely refuse reception, “establishments, whether public, associative or commercial”, will be subject to the law but with the necessity that it is therefore “well regulated and adapted to each establishment”.

As for the possible additional workload for nursing home staff, Jean-Christophe Amarantinis believes that it should not take place “because it is the residents themselves who will take care of their animals, since the aim of this regulation is indeed to organize continuity and a link between what happened before at home and in the establishment. So, it is indeed the resident himself, to the extent that he is independent, who will continue to take care of his dogs, his fish and his cat.”