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to public housing or find public housing to be desirable. In the United States, there are some programs, typically associated with local animal shelters, that offer low-cost spay/neuter clinics, microchipping, and vaccination programs to clients who qualify as low income. There are also a variety of charitable organizations that provide veterinary and pet care assistance funds, such as the Dog & Cat Cancer Fund (http://www.dccfund.org), the Pet Fund (http://www.thepetfund.com), Diabetic Cats in Need (http://fdmb-cin.blogspot.com/), and the Magic Bullet Fund (http://themagicbulletfund.org/). In addition to assistance with spay/neutering, STARelief and Pet Assistance offers a Pet Food Pantry that may offer short-term assistance to private pet owners who are unemployed or receiving disability or social security benefits (http://starelief.org/). While pet ownership may be perceived as the ideal mechanism for pet interaction by older adults, there are alternative opportunities to support HAI outside of pet ownership. Options include volunteering at a local animal shelter, serving as a foster care home for an adoptable pet, pet sitting, attendance at senior centers that support and provide opportunities for animalGee and Galik 289 Anthrozoös assisted activities, and routine pet visits by family and friends. Enders-Slegers and Hediger (2019) describe a program in the Netherlands that matches older adults wishing to foster with dogs that need “day care.” Confronting the Inevitable—Future Planning about Pet Welfare Older adults living with pets are all too often burdened with the fear of what will become of their pet when they themselves die, and concerns over how they will cope with the sadness that will accompany the death of their pet. Family members and health care providers can assist older pet owners in managing anxiety and developing a plan in the event that the pet outlives the capabilities or life of its owner. A family or friend may be agreeable to adopting the pet. A will stipulates the distribution of assets and property; however, it is an inadequate solution for ongoing pet care due to challenges of enforceability and the possibility of a prolonged probate. Another alternative is the development of a pet trust, which is often part of estate planning. A pet trust will identify a pet guardian who will care for the pet if the owner is too ill to provide continued care or dies, and may also include funding to use for the care of the pet (Hirschfeld, 2009). Enders-Slegers and Kruger (2018) suggest a pet protection agreement as a less expensive alternative. In addition, if finances are limited, shelters and breeders may agree to return of the pet. Managing Anxiety about Outliving a Pet and Dealing with Loss While there are some resources and literature that focus on planning for pet welfare when an older adult becomes disabled or dies, there is far less about the fear and anxiety that many older pet owners have about outliving their pet. Enders-Slegers and Kruger (2018) note that this fear is often cited as a reason given by older adults for not owning a pet. Even though older adults undergo repeated losses as they age and clinically may develop fear and anxiety related to the prospect of the death of a companion animal, or complicated grief following the death of a pet, there is little information about these phenomena in the research literature. Future research should explore the extent of fear and anxiety that older adults have about outliving their companion animals and address preparatory and counseling strategies to deal with these feelings, as well as to assist older adults to better deal with bereavement following the death of a companion animal. Conclusion The importance of animals in the lives of older adults is apparent from the ubiquity of pet ownership among that population. However, we have much to learn about how, when, and under what conditions companion animals may be beneficial to the psychological or physical health of older adults. The papers in this thematic issue explore the available evidence, discuss the mixed findings, and consider the limitations of HAI research with older adults. In this concluding paper, we have highlighted recommendations to guide future researchers’ approaches to design and implementation. We have discussed the importance of the health and welfare of the animals and made suggestions for formulating a translational pipeline for research to practice. The level of awareness of the importance of pets in the lives of older adults has risen dramatically in recent decades, and solutions to the accompanying challenges are continually evolving. These may take the form of community responses, support from family members, or increases in the availability of pet-permitted housing or residential pet programs. Additionally, it is important for health care providers to recognize the significant impact that pets may have on the physical and emotional health of older adults and begin to assess both the benefits Future Directions for Research on Human–Animal Interaction in an Aging Population 290 Anthrozoös and potential challenges of pet ownership among their older patients. Future solutions can be guided by effective research, and incorporating the ideas in this themed issue will be an important component. Acknowledgements We thank Karyl Hurley, Mars Petcare, and the WALTHAM
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