Prairie Hills at Tipton Blogs

Assisted Living Pets Allowed: Comfort and Routine in Tipton

Written by Discovery Senior Living | Jun 2, 2025 4:00:00 AM

The University of Michigan cites that two in three pet owners believe their animals help them cope with health problems. Pets keep people physically active, and the companionship they provide can stave off mental illnesses.

Tipton, IA is known for being a tight-knit community with a vibrant downtown area. It's a great location for older adults, but assisted living in pets-allowed communities is critical for senior comfort and routine.

Read on to learn what pet-friendly senior housing is like and what benefits cats and dogs can offer to residents.

Senior Care: Step One Toward Healthy Aging With Pets

Prairie Hills Tipton offers three living options for seniors, including:

  • Independent living, in which seniors take care of most personal care tasks on their own in resort-style settings
  • Assisted living, which provides residents with day-to-day care support via personally-tailored care plans that meet all their specific needs
  • Memory care is designed for residents experiencing dementia and the painful impacts of cognitive decline

Regardless of which option you or your loved one needs, they can expect to reap the benefits of aging with pets.

Our compassionate caregivers help each senior figure out which community living option they belong in. For assisted living and memory care residents, we come up with individualized care plans that include tasks like:

  • Getting into and out of bed
  • Moving around the apartment
  • Navigating community amenities
  • Showering and/or bathing
  • Choosing clothes and dressing
  • Using the restroom
  • Hygiene help, like brushing teeth and hair

No one, regardless of their age, can meet the needs of an animal before their own basic needs are met. That's why choosing a great Tipton, IA community is a critical first step toward the animal's welfare.

Pet owners with good hygiene are less likely to experience depression, so they'll have the motivation to provide quality care. Assisted living in pets-allowed communities makes this possible.

Enhanced Mobility and Cognition

Taking care of a pet requires seniors to be somewhat mobile. They need to be able to walk well enough to keep up with a cat or dog. Crossing the room to give animals food and water is non-negotiable for pet owners.

Prairie Hills at Tipton is a great community for older adults who need to increase their mobility. We offer guided activities like:

  • Stretching
  • Yoga
  • Meditation
  • Light, non-competitive sports
  • Walks on community outdoor paths

These are available to residents in independent, assisted living, and memory care communities. They don't just build mobility. They help already-mobile seniors keep up their strength.

This ensures that seniors retain the flexibility needed to:

  • Walk dogs daily
  • Clean up after dogs
  • Clean cat litter boxes
  • Chase pets around with toys and teasers
  • Bend to pet and/or pick up beloved animals
  • Put food and water into bowls

Our caregivers also help those in both assisted living and memory care boost cognition. They offer:

  • Activities like games and puzzles that boost critical thinking
  • Sensory-stimulating experiences to boost cognition
  • Rememberance therapy to stimulate memory

These tasks are especially important in memory care, and residents with pets can take better care of them after taking advantage of these programs.

Better cognition makes it easier to:

  • Remember to feed pets and change their water
  • Find animals when they're hiding in the apartment
  • Keep track of cats and dogs to stop them from getting out

Comfort in Pet-Friendly Senior Housing

Seniors in independent and assisted living can choose between studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments. Their sizes range from 363 square feet to 726 square feet.

Choosing a larger one ensures that there's space for:

  • Cats and dogs to run and play
  • Plenty of areas for pets can sleep in
  • Hiding space for fun-loving animals
  • Cat trees
  • Pet beds
  • Dog-walking equipment
  • Food and water bowls

Studios are also available to those in memory care. The Maple floor plan is one 340 square foot room that contains a bedroom, a kitchenette, and a living area.

Regardless, each room comes with amenities that enhance pets' comfort and safety. Some include:

  • Treated windows to look out of, allowing cats to indulge their natural instincts by watching outdoor animals pass by
  • Temperature control to ensure that animals (and their owners) don't get too hot in the summertime
  • Carpeted floors for paw comfort and joint health

Companionship: The Benefits of Emotional Support Animals

The Waltham Petcare Science Institute has recently done studies about pets and emotional support. They found that 85% of dog owners and 75% of cat owners state that their animals had a positive effect on their mental state. Aging with pets is less lonely than aging alone in Tipton assisted living!

Additionally, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute cites that 76% of people believe interacting with pets can reduce social isolation. 85% note that pets reduce loneliness. Of pet-owning respondents, 80% say that their own animal makes them personally feel less lonely.

This is because animals provide:

  • Loyal love
  • Constant support
  • Regular affection
  • Life companionship
  • Silent confidantes to talk to
  • Emotional support during difficult times

Loving a cat or dog means relying on a furry best friend who will never leave your side.

Routine and Enhanced Holistic Health

Pets also help people establish a routine. They wake their owners up at set times and need to be fed at specific hours. Seniors may not have a daily schedule without animals to care for, so the routine and structure they provide are important.

Having a regular routine can help older adults:

  • Sleep better
  • Manage stress
  • Decrease anxiety
  • Feel in control
  • Remain autonomous
  • Stay active

This enhances overall well-being in a myriad of ways to keep seniors on their feet in the long term.

Enjoy Assisted Living in Pets-Allowed Communities

Now that you know all about assisted living in pets-allowed communities, it's time to begin reaping the benefits of emotional support animals.

Regardless of your support needs, Prairie Hills Tipton is committed to ensuring a safe and supportive environment for both you and your pets. Senior comfort and connectedness is a priority, and our caregivers will also do whatever they can to make sure your animals lead a happy lifestyle, too.

Contact us to schedule a tour and learn more about our pet-friendly amenities!