Log Data Management And Analytics Startup Sumo Logic Raises $15M From Greylock And Others

Sumo LogicSumo Logic, a startup focused on enterprise log management and analytics, has raised $15 million in Series B funding round led by Sutter Hill Ventures, with participation from previous investors Greylock Partners and angel investor Shlomo Kramer. The new funding brings the startup?s total venture capital backing to $20.5 million. Today, Sumo Logic emerged from stealth to unveil its log management and analytics platform, aiming to help companies to uncover operational and security insights buried in enterprise log files. The startup was founded by ArcSight veterans Christian Beedgen and Kumar Saurabh in 2009, to provide a cloud based system for managing the massive amounts of enterprise log data.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/Day1ikKCeJE/

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Charter Schools -- Unsafe Pressure-Release Valves We Don't Need (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | Sarah Butrymowicz on Time.com reports about myriad difficulties facing charter schools and the families of their students when those schools are forced to close. Charter schools are defined in as schools that "get public funds but operate without usual bureaucratic constraints." The purpose, to be sure, is noble: Help students who are not thriving in traditional public schools pursue academic success in smaller, more supportive environments.

Critics of charter schools allege the lack of "usual bureaucratic constraints" has relegated many such schools into breeding grounds of mediocrity, with students and faculty underperforming. Those same critics, and others, also complain regulations shutting down underperforming charter schools are insufficient and that, even if some charters close, new ones immediately open to take their place.

Obviously, this is an issue that has become more pressing as a result of the ongoing recession. In 2006, when the economy was humming, states like Ohio took a liberal approach to charter schools and let them proliferate, assuming parents could police schools' performance by sending their children only to the good ones and letting the bad ones shrivel and close. Now that public dollars are scarce and teacher layoffs loom in many states, educators and taxpayers are questioning the validity of nontraditional schools that receive state funding.

I don't think charter schools should receive public funding. While charters have many merits, I believe on principle that state money for education should be spent on improving traditional public schools, not creating "pressure release valves" for a small numbers of students. Due to their smaller sizes, charter schools might be less cost-efficient and have a harder time fostering large-group socialization skills among students who, for various reasons, might desperately need to develop those skills.

Also, charter schools might breed resentment. Who gets to go? Charter schools in a certain area might not have room for all students who wish to attend. There are constraints to their size and scope. In addition to numerous other controversies, you also must consider controversies related to equality of access.

Districts should focus on improving their traditional schools. Allowing charter schools to proliferate can divert state dollars from traditional schools, denying those schools up-to-date equipment and curricula materials. While the new charter schools are likely to have updated infrastructures and materials, the traditional schools must go without.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/education/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120131/pl_ac/10907835_charter_schools__unsafe_pressurerelease_valves_we_dont_need

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No Child Left Behind Waivers: States Failed To Hold Schools Accountable For Student Performance

MIAMI -- In its initial review of No Child Left Behind waiver requests, the U.S. Education Department highlighted a similar weakness in nearly every application: States did not do enough to ensure schools would be held accountable for the performance of all students.

The Obama administration praised the states for their high academic standards. But nearly every application was criticized for being loose about setting high goals and, when necessary, interventions for all student groups ? including minorities, the disabled and low-income ? or for failing to create sufficient incentives to close the achievement gap.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools where even one group of students falls behind are considered out of compliance and subject to interventions. The law has been championed for helping shed light on education inequalities, but most now agree it is due for change.

Indiana's proposal to opt out of the federal law's strictest requirements was criticized by the Education Department for its "inattention" to certain groups, like students still learning the English language. New Mexico's plan, a panel of peer reviewers noted, did not include accountability and interventions for student subgroups based on factors like achievement and graduation rates. In Florida, the department expressed concern that the performance of some groups of students could go overlooked.

The concerns were outlined in letters sent last December by the administration to the 11 states that have applied for a waiver. Since then, state and federal officials have been talking about how to address the concerns; some states have already agreed to changes.

The letters were obtained by The Associated Press for all of the states except Tennessee and Kentucky, which declined to provide them until an announcement is made on whether a waiver is granted. The Education Department has previously said it expected to notify states by mid-January.

"Our priority is protecting children and maintaining a high bar even as we give states more flexibility to get more resources to the children most in need, even if that means the process takes a little longer than we anticipated," said Daren Briscoe, a department spokesman.

Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, said federal officials are in a challenging spot.

"The current law means that each group of kids, whether they are children with a disability, or African-American, or poor kids, have attention paid to them, because the schools are accountable for each and every group," said Jennings. "But what the states are asking is that they all be lumped together."

The Bush-era law is aimed at making sure 100 percent of students reach proficiency in math and reading by 2014, a goal states are far from achieving. As that year draws closer, more and more schools are expected to fall out of compliance, subjecting them to penalties that range from after-school tutoring to closure.

While there is bipartisan agreement the 2002 law needs to be fixed, Congress has not passed a comprehensive reform. President Barack Obama announced in September that states could apply for waivers and scrap the proficiency requirement if they met conditions designed to better prepare and test students.

The 11 states that applied for the first round of waivers were Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico and Tennessee. Many more states are expected to request waivers in the second round ? meaning all eyes will be on the first approvals.

The Center on Education Policy analyzed all the waiver requests and found that in nine of the 11 states, almost all decisions on penalties and interventions would be based on the performance of two groups: all students and a "disadvantaged" group that would replace the current system of separate categories of students according to race, ethnicity, income, disability and English language proficiency.

Those separate categories are at the heart of what No Child Left Behind aimed to correct ? vast achievement gaps between white, black and Hispanic students, between the affluent and low-income ? and what most agree is the problem with the law: If any one of these groups of students does not meet the state's annual benchmarks for proficiency in reading and math, the school is labeled as "failing."

In a letter sent Jan. 17, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., urged Education Secretary Arne Duncan to require strong accountability measures and ensure civil rights and educational equity gains under No Child Left Behind are not lost.

"We fear that putting students with disabilities, English language learners and minority students into one `super subgroup' will mask the individual needs of these distinct student subgroups," they said.

In the feedback provided to states by a panel of peer reviewers in December, many states were praised for plans to institute college and career-ready standards and develop teacher evaluation systems that take into account student growth ? two hallmarks of the Obama administration's education policy. The panel's concerns varied, but meeting the needs of all groups of students was one consistent theme.

In New Mexico, for example, the U.S. Education Department expressed concern about a lack of incentives to close achievement gaps and hold schools accountable for the performance of all students. In a follow-up letter sent late in January, subgroup accountability was still an area of concern.

Hanna Skandera, secretary designate for the New Mexico Public Education Department, said the state's original plan did include breaking down data on student performance by subgroup on each school's report card. But after conversations with the U.S. Education Department, schools will be adding information on whether they are on track for progress and growth in meeting annual targets. If a group falls behind, schools will be subject to intervention measures.

"We had high level reporting," Skandera said. "Now we're going to provide another layer so everything is crystal clear to parents across the state."

Minnesota's initial feedback included concern about "the lack of incentives to improve achievement for all groups of students and narrow achievement gap between subgroups." Sam Kramer, federal education policy specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education, said most of that criticism was focused on the state's graduation rate. In its initial submission, the state did not take into account the graduation rate of different subgroups in its annual targets.

After receiving the letter, the state switched to a system that will take into account how subgroups of students did in meeting those graduation targets.

Kramer said he thinks Minnesota will be better able to meet the needs of disadvantaged groups of students under the new system.

"No Child Left Behind was very good at diagnosing the problem," Kramer said. "It was very good at shining a light on the differences between subgroups."

It was less effective, he said, at offering successful ways to help improve.

"We are going to be able to go in and be flexible and reactive to the specific needs of those subgroups," Kramer said.

Pedro Noguera, an education professor at New York University, said the struggle by school districts to lift the performance of different groups of students is a signal of a deeper problem that won't be solved by waivers.

"We need to make sure the districts and schools feel some pressure to make sure that all the students they are responsible for are being educated," he said. "However, they need to focus on different kinds of evidence, and not merely performance on a standardized test. That's where they don't get it."

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/31/no-child-left-behind-waiv_n_1243291.html

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AU, Kenyan forces move to squeeze rebels out of Somalia (Reuters)

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) ? African Union and Kenyan troops aim to squeeze Somali rebels linked to al Qaeda by pursuing a coordinated war on two fronts, the U.N. chief's special envoy in Somalia said Monday.

Under the plan, AU forces will push toward a Somali rebel stronghold outside the capital and Kenyan forces will focus on the Islamists' bastions in the south.

Augustine Mahiga, who relocated to Mogadishu from Nairobi to become the most senior U.N. official in Somalia for 17 years, cautioned it was hard to predict if the complex strategy would defeat the rebels given their sophisticated weaponry and ability to melt into the population.

African Union and U.N. officials at an AU summit in Addis Ababa are optimistic the twin track of a coordinated military campaign as well as a political roadmap, which envisions elections by August, means "the prospect for peace in Somalia has never been so real."

"AMISOM (the AU force) is (conducting) operations on the outskirts of Mogadishu and they'll be heading toward the Afgoye corridor. That is where al Shabaab has retreated to and has the highest concentration of its troops," Mahiga told Reuters on the summit's sidelines.

"They (Kenyan troops) take Kismayu and from there ... they'll progress northwards to Marka and the AMISOM troops from Mogadishu will also be going further south. It is a strategy that has been divided into sectors," he said.

It may not be that simple. The Ugandan and Burundian troops who make up the AMISOM force encountered fierce resistance in the battle for Mogadishu.

Equally, the advance of Kenyan soldiers toward the port city of Kismayu has been slower than anticipated since they crossed into Somalia in October.

Ethiopia, which has also deployed troops on Somali soil and seized some territory close to their shared border, said its force would stay put until AU troops replace them, to avoid a power vacuum.

Somalia has been in conflict for two decades with no single entity ever fully in control. Warlords and Islamist militants vie for control while drought has compounded hardship for many Somalis.

KISMAYU HEAVILY DEFENDED

Kismayu, the center of al Shabaab's operations, will be a tough battle but a necessary one to crush the militants, diplomats say.

Mahiga said the port served as an entry point for the foreign fighters in al Shabaab's ranks and accounted for about 90 percent of the rebels' revenues.

"(It's) the place where imports and exports have been taking place including arms and export of charcoal ... so this is heavily, heavily defended and it's going to be quite a battle," said Mahiga.

What's more, seizing control of Kismayu is the relatively easy part, counter-insurgency experts say. Holding on to the city will be tougher.

Kenya wants to integrate its troops inside Somalia into the AMISOM force as soon as the U.N. Security Council approves an increase in the force's current size from 12,000.

The AU wants to increase AMISOM's numbers to close to 18,000. Mahiga said he had met EU officials who said they would "consider seriously" funding the extra troops. Under the current structure, the European Union, particularly Italy, is in charge of paying wages.

Al Shabaab's growing recourse to al Qaeda-inspired suicide attacks makes quashing the five-year insurgency more difficult.

"They have always proven to be quite agile and they have over the years built a formidable arsenal of weapons," Mahiga said. "They have been training all these years (and) can retreat and regroup."

(Editing by Richard Lough and Giles Elgood)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_kenya_somalia

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Madonna feels kinship with vilified Wallis Simpson (Reuters)

(Reuters) ? Madonna says it's pretty obvious why she was drawn to the story of Wallis Simpson -- the American divorcee who was vilified for persuading a British king to give up his throne in order to marry her.

The sometimes prickly pop superstar said she had been fascinated for years by Simpson before deciding to write and direct her second film, "W.E", which opens widely in U.S. movie theaters on Friday.

The movie chronicles the romance and 1930s marriage of King Edward VIII and Simpson, who were shunned by British society after Edward renounced the throne to be with her.

"I could understand a lot of aspects of Wallis Simpson's life, having people ... view you from the outside, make judgments about you, have opinions about you, write things about you that are untrue - and not feel like you are able to defend yourself, that sometimes kind of makes you feel helpless," Madonna, 53, told Reuters Television in an interview.

"She didn't commit a crime, she fell in love ... She says in the film, 'If you do this, if we get married, I will be the most hated woman in the world,' and she was .... Obviously I can relate to her life on certain levels. I think that a lot of people who are public figures have the same experience," Madonna said.

Madonna, who moved to England during her second marriage, to British director Guy Ritchie, said she too has made sacrifices for love.

"Whether you move to another country and you give up your roots, or when you have children -- you love your children, but you have to give up say your free time, your sleep. So I think we are in the process of making those sacrifices for love on a daily basis if we're in relationships or if we have children," she said.

"W.E" stars Abbie Cornish as a New Yorker in the 1990s who becomes infatuated with the marriage between Edward and Simpson who is played by Andrea Riseborough.

The film has been characterized by movie critics as visually stunning but lacking in focus. But Madonna won the best original movie song Golden Globe in January for "Masterpiece" from the "W.E" soundtrack.

The first song from her new album "MDNA," which marks her return to music after focusing on the movie, is set to be released on Friday. Called "Give Me All Your Luvin," it features Nicki Minaj and M.I.A.

Madonna will be also performing on Sunday in the half-time show at the National Football League Super Bowl -- the biggest television and sporting event of the year in the United States.

(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Writing by Jill Serjeant)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/celebrity/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/people_nm/us_madonna_we

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Troops seize Damascus suburbs back from rebels (Reuters)

AMMAN (Reuters) ? Troops seized eastern suburbs of Damascus from rebels late on Sunday, opposition activists said, after two days of fighting only a few kilometers from the centre of power of President Bashar al-Assad.

"The Free Syrian Army has made a tactical withdrawal. Regime forces have re-occupied the suburbs and started making house-to-house arrests," an activist named Kamal said by phone from the eastern al-Ghouta area on the edge of the capital.

A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army of defectors fighting Assad's forces appeared to confirm that account.

"Tanks have gone in but they do not know where the Free Syrian Army is. We are still operating close to Damascus," Maher al-Naimi told Reuters by phone from Turkey.

Activists said earlier on Sunday soldiers had moved into the suburbs at dawn, along with at least 50 tanks and other armored vehicles. At least 19 civilians and rebel fighters were killed in that initial attack, they said.

Fighters had taken over districts less than eight km (five miles) from the heart of the city. The areas have seen repeated protests against Assad's rule and crackdowns by troops in the 10-month-old uprising.

"It's urban war. There are bodies in the street," said an activist speaking from the suburb of Kfar Batna.

Residents of central Damascus reported seeing soldiers and police deployed around main squares.

The escalating bloodshed prompted the Arab League to suspend the work of its monitors on Saturday. Arab foreign ministers, who have urged Assad to step down and make way for a government of national unity, will discuss the crisis on February 5.

ARAB PEACE PLAN

Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby left for New York where he will brief representatives of the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday to seek support for the Arab peace plan.

He will be joined by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, whose country heads the League's committee charged with overseeing Syria.

Elaraby said he hoped to overcome resistance from Beijing and Moscow over endorsing the Arab proposals.

A Syrian government official said the Arab League decision to suspend monitoring would "put pressure on (Security Council) deliberations with the aim of calling for foreign intervention and encouraging armed groups to increase violence".

Assad blames the violence on foreign-backed militants.

The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 41 civilian deaths across Syria on Sunday, including 14 in Homs province and 12 in the city of Hama. Thirty-one soldiers and members of the security forces were also killed, most in two attacks by deserters in the northern province of Idlib, it said.

State news agency SANA reported the military funerals of 28 soldiers and police on Saturday and another 23 on Sunday.

After mass demonstrations against his rule erupted last spring, Assad launched a military crackdown. Growing numbers of army deserters and gunmen have joined the protesters in a country of 23 million people regarded as a pivotal state at the heart of the Middle East.

The insurgency has crept closer to the capital. The suburbs, a string of mainly conservative Sunni Muslim towns, known as al-Ghouta, are home to the bulk of Damascus's population.

One activist said mosques there had been turned into opposition field hospitals and were appealing for blood supplies. "They (the authorities) cut off the electricity. Petrol stations are empty and the army is preventing people from leaving to get fuel for generators or heating," he said.

The Damascus suburbs have seen large demonstrations demanding the removal of Assad, a member of the minority Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam that has dominated the mostly Sunni Muslim country for the last five decades.

In Rankous, 30 km (20 miles) north of Damascus by the Lebanese border, Assad's forces have killed at least 33 people in recent days in an attack to dislodge army defectors and insurgents, activists and residents said on Sunday.

IRAN SAYS ASSAD NEEDS TIME

Iran said Assad must be given time to implement reforms.

Tehran at first wholeheartedly supported Assad's hardline stance against the 10 months of popular protests. It has since tempered its rhetoric, but it condemns what it calls foreign interference in Syrian affairs.

"They have to have a free election, they have to have the right constitution, they have to allow different political parties to have their activities freely in the country. And this is what he has promised," Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said.

"We think that Syria has to be given the choice of time so that by (that) time they can do the reforms."

Syria has said it will hold a referendum on a new constitution soon, before a multi-party parliamentary election that has been much postponed. Under the present constitution, Assad's Baath party is "the leader of the state and society".

France, which has been leading calls for stronger international action on Syria, said the Arab League decision highlighted the need to act.

The United Nations said in December more than 5,000 people had been killed in the protests and crackdown. Syria says more than 2,000 security force members have been killed by militants.

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council discussed a European-Arab draft resolution aimed at halting the bloodshed. Britain and France said they hoped to put it to a vote next week.

Russia joined China in vetoing a previous Western draft resolution in October, and has said it wants a Syrian-led political process, not "an Arab League-imposed outcome" or Libyan-style "regime change".

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120130/wl_nm/us_syria

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Katherine Heigl: I Want My Daughter to Know Her Worth

In her blog for the iVillage blog series CelebVillage, actress Katherine Heigl writes about about the importance of helping her 3-year-old daughter Naleigh live up to her potential in life.

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/katherine-heigl-raising-her-daughter-know-her-worth/1-a-422931?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Akatherine-heigl-raising-her-daughter-know-her-worth-422931

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Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is from Ellio, who fancies switching up his home entertainment kit with a HD LED projector. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
"I'm looking to buy a small HD LED projector to use at home for movies and games etc. I'd prefer it to be small to avoid having another large black box cluttering up the place and LED because of the decent lifetime compared to traditional projectors. I'd be happy with a 720p resolution device, but a lot of pico projectors are under 30 lumens, is this level sufficient for a decent size-display in a dim room? Thanks a bunch!"
So, what's it gonna be dear friends? If you don't know the drill: it's a jump to your left, a step to your right, put your hands on your hips and leave a comment below.

Ask Engadget: Best HD LED Pico Projector for a small room? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fitch cuts Italy, Spain, other euro zone ratings (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Fitch downgraded the sovereign credit ratings of Belgium, Cyprus, Italy, Slovenia and Spain on Friday, indicating there was a 1-in-2 chance of further cuts in the next two years.

In a statement, the ratings agency said the affected countries were vulnerable in the near-term to monetary and financial shocks.

"Consequently, these sovereigns do not, in Fitch's view, accrue the full benefits of the euro's reserve currency status," it said.

Fitch cut Italy's rating to A-minus from A-plus; Spain to A from AA-minus; Belgium to AA from AA-plus; Slovenia to A from AA-minus and Cyprus to BBB-minus from BBB, leaving the small island nation just one notch above junk status.

Ireland's rating of BBB-plus was affirmed.

All of the ratings were given negative outlooks.

Fitch said it had weighed up a worsening economic outlook in much of the euro zone against the European Central Bank's December move to flood the banking sector with cheap three-year money and austerity efforts by governments to curb their debts.

"Overall, today's rating actions balance the marked deterioration in the economic outlook with both the substantive policy initiatives at the national level to address macro-financial and fiscal imbalances, and the initial success of the ECB's three-year Long-Term Refinancing Operation in easing near-term sovereign and bank funding pressures," Fitch said.

Two weeks ago, Standard & Poor's downgraded the credit ratings of nine euro zone countries, stripping France and Austria of their coveted triple-A status but not EU paymaster Germany, and pushing struggling Portugal into junk territory.

With nearly half a trillion euros of ECB liquidity coursing through the financial system, some of which has apparently gone into euro zone government bonds, and with hopes of a deal to write down a slab of Greece's mountainous debt, even that sweeping ratings action had little market impact.

The euro briefly pared gains against the dollar after Fitch cut the five euro zone sovereigns but soon jumped to a session high of $1.3208, according to Reuters data, its highest since December 13.

Italy is widely seen as the tipping point for the euro zone. If it slid towards default, the whole currency project would be threatened.

Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti, a technocrat who has won plaudits for his economic reform drive, said he reacted to Fitch's downgrade of Italy with "detached serenity."

"They signal things that are not particularly new, for example, that Italy has a very high debt as a percentage of GDP and they signal that the way the euro zone is governed as a whole is not perfect and we knew that too," he said during a live interview on Italian television.

"They also say things that give a positive view of what is being done in Italy because there is much appreciation for policies of this government and this parliament," he said.

Fitch said of Italy: "A more severe rating action was forestalled by the strong commitment of the Italian government to reducing the budget deficit and to implementing structural reform as well as the significant easing of near-term financing risks as a result of the ECB's 3-year Longer-term Refinancing Operation."

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos, Daniel Bases, Philip Pullela and Pam Niimi, writing by Mike Peacock, Editing by James Dalgleish)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/eurobiz/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120128/bs_nm/us_eurozone_fitch

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Rita Altman, R.N.: The Benefits of Caring for a Pet

No doubt you can still recall your first dog or cat and all the joy they brought into your life. For the young as well as the old, especially if they have Alzheimer's disease or another form of memory loss, there are many benefits in caring for pets.

I remember one woman who was in her mid-50s and had been diagnosed with younger-onset Alzheimer's disease. When she first moved to the memory care neighborhood at a senior living community, she had a really difficult time adjusting to her new environment. She was extremely reticent when asked to join in social activities and often seemed to be searching for someone or something. An immediate transformation occurred when she was introduced to the neighborhood dog. It seemed as if she found exactly what she had been searching for during her frequent walks up and down the hallways.

The resident eagerly agreed to be of assistance when the staff asked her to help them keep fresh food and water available and walk the dog in the courtyard each morning and evening. She no longer looked sad and withdrawn because she once again had meaning and purpose in her life as well as a sense of structure to her day. As a result of this intervention, her husband also said that he felt much better about his decision to move her there. He reported that he was very pleased to see her self-confidence reemerging and felt that the community pet was a symbol of the one she loved and cared for at home some years earlier.

Many senior living communities, such as Sunrise Senior Living, integrate pets into the daily lives of residents by having a dog or cat live full-time in the community. Here are five benefits that pets offer for seniors, whether at home or in a senior living community:

1. They provide companionship

An older adult's basic human need for security, affection and sensory contact can be met by holding, stroking or nurturing a pet. Experts report that pets can decrease loneliness, help to reduce stress, and encourage exercise and playfulness. This not only benefits the body but also the spirit! Because of the companionship and unconditional affection they give, pets can be a great source of comfort and security to seniors that tend to be isolated, which helps them to feel less lonely.

2. They increase social interaction

You've probably noticed that people respond both visually and verbally more to others who bring their pets with them on a walk around the neighborhood or to the park. There is something about a pet that often helps to "break the ice" and promote conversation. Having a pet encourages social interaction, which is known to be beneficial to both cognitive and emotional health. Many people like to tell stories about their pets or give updates on their well-being, so pets can also serve as a conversation starter with visitors, family and friends.

3. They have a calming effect

Pets offer comfort and ease anxiety. Playing with a pet can raise levels of the neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine which stimulate relaxation. According to research, pets also have both a normalizing and a calming or soothing effect on seniors with memory loss who exhibit actions such as aggression and agitation.

4. They provide meaning and purpose

People with Alzheimer's disease or another form of memory loss have the same basic human needs as everyone else. Many still express great joy and satisfaction through interacting with animals. Whether at home or in a senior living community, seniors with memory loss may enjoy taking on the role of caregiver for a pet by helping with the pet's feeding and grooming needs. This gives them a newly found sense of identity and purpose.

5. They add to the homelike environment

Especially in a senior living community, pets have a way of creating a homelike environment. In fact, the community dog is frequently the first to greet visitors as they enter the front door, making them feel welcomed immediately.

Even if it's not feasible for a senior to own and care for a pet, look for opportunities to spend time with animals, whether it's visiting a senior living community or caring for a friend's dog or cat for a short term. Sometimes a dog or cat can provide comfort that a human just can't!

2012-01-24-petpost-sunrisedog.jpg


Photo courtesy of Sunrise Senior Living, Inc.

For more by Rita Altman, R.N., click here.

For more on pet health, click here.

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Follow Rita Altman, R.N. on Twitter: www.twitter.com/sunrisesrliving

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rita-altman-rn/pets-seniors_b_1229150.html

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