Exploring Life & Business with Lisa Zimmerman of Hospets

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Zimmerman.

Hi Lisa, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story. 

My dad was an animal lover.  He suffered from pulmonary lung fibrosis and when his health declined, he had to move in with his me, an avid animal rescuer.

While talking with nurses and social workers throughout Dad’s illness, I realized that the problem of elderly or sick individuals struggling to care for their pets was far more widespread than I ever realized.

The nurses shared stories of the elderly going hungry so that their pets could be fed. Medications left unpurchased so their pet could get veterinary care. Pets were barely able to move because they were too matted to move, or nails were grown into paws because their owners were unable to drive their pet to a groomer. Seniors with life-threatening conditions were left untreated because they had no one to care for their pets while they were in the hospital. And stories of pets being taken away and not returned because of a hospitalization.

There had to be a better way, so upon the death of my father, Hospets was founded in Dec 2011

We started off with the basics, providing pet food and basic veterinary care. In 2013, we were able to raise enough donations to build a small respite care facility. This allowed us to provide temporary care for pets while the owners are hospitalized and also gave us the room to bring in low-cost mobile spay/neuter services and offer that as a resource to our community. We also utilized volunteer Veterinarians and Mobile Units to provide free pet vaccines to the elderly pet owners

Over the coming years, we branched out and provided services in 3 other counties. In 2022, we teamed up with a low-cost, full-service veterinarian to be able to offer free, monthly pet wellness clinics.

We currently provide free pet food and supplies, transportation to vet and grooming appointments, pet respite care, rehoming assistance, pre-planning services, free pet wellness clinics, and options for additional low-cost veterinary care.

We are offering as many services as we can to keep the pets & the seniors happy, healthy, and together as long as possible

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The initial struggle was getting the senior service organizations to realize we were not a scam. There were no other groups providing these types of services to seniors, and they all thought it was too good to be true. Funding was also and still is an issue. We walk a gray line, we aren’t 100% only senior citizen-focused and we aren’t 100% only animal-focused, and this makes finding grant funding difficult. There aren’t many grants that focus on seniors AND the pets.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Our mission is to provide pet care assistance to senior citizens and hospice patients to help keep the pets in the home as long as possible.

Pet ownership provides enormous health and emotional benefits for seniors. Pets give the elderly something to care for, as well as providing an opportunity for exercise and socialization. While pet ownership brings great rewards there are also expenses with pet ownership. Many of the pet owning seniors are unable to adequately provide for those expenses.

Many seniors will feed their pets before they feed themselves, and many will forego their own medication to provide for their pets. Seniors should not have to deny their needs to experience the health and emotional benefits of pet ownership.

Hospets helps on a variety of fronts: Hospets currently serves the needs of pet-owning seniors, and hospice patients primarily in Union County. Most of our clients are referred through Senior Services agencies, Meals on Wheels, Community Action, or assistance through local home health agencies.

Pet Food – Hospets will deliver pet food to seniors in need once a month.

Basic Grooming – At our visits we can provide nail trims, bathing, basic grooming, and have even been known to assist a bit with training. We have groomers who have volunteered their time and services to help with the more severe cases.

Veterinary Care – As the cost of veterinary care increases many seniors are unable to even afford a basic office call, much less any emergency needs. Hospets will assist as much as possible. We provide a monthly, free, pet wellness clinic, we work with low-cost mobile units to provide free vaccine clinics.

Education – Many of the seniors we serve are not familiar with some of the basic needs of pets or even some items in the home that may be hazardous to pets. We take the opportunity to try and educate at every possible opportunity.

Transportation – Many of the seniors we serve are unable to drive or unable to physically transport their pets to the veterinary office or groomer. Hospets will pick the animals up at the home and transport to and from the vet or groomer.

Low-Cost Spay and Neuter – Many of our seniors do not have the funds to pay to have their pets spayed or neutered. Not having this done may lead to unplanned litters and create potential hoarding situations. Hospets provides low cost spay neuters to senior-owned housepets. We will pick up the pets and transport them to our vets in Columbus and return them home after the surgery. At that time the pets also often receive vaccines and other basic veterinary care.

What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Nothing is black and white. Be ready, willing, and eager to adapt, open-minded enough to change and embrace growth 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.hospets.org
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/hospets