SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Dog Care
Dog Care Tips
Can
Animal Assisted Therapy Help?
The term “animal assisted therapy” is to be
distinguished from the more familiar practice of “animal assisted
activities”, which refers generally to pet visitation at hospitals
and residential care facilities.
Animal
Assisted Therapy is part of a formal and carefully
designed treatment program with specific and measurable objectives
that matches one animal to one patient. Under the guidance
of a trained medical professional, patients with severe mental
and/or physical disabilities are encouraged to interact with
a “therapy dog” under the supervision of a trained dog handler.
The patient’s interaction with the dog is increased gradually.
Initially, the patient may merely observe the dog or touch
it. As the patient becomes more responsive and confident, activities
may include brushing, attaching collars and even walking the
dog. Progress records are maintained as milestones are met
and exceeded.
Studies have shown that therapy pets motivate people to participate
in therapeutic interactions. Dogs are not judgmental, they
don’t hassle or pressure their partner and they have endless
patience. Further, simply because they are animals and require
care, the patient grooming them or walking them is made to
feel useful.
The
benefits and expectations of animal assisted activities,
or pet visits, vary according to the needs and conditions of
the patients being visited. Pet visits are less formal; they
do not follow a particular treatment plan or schedule and they
are not usually set up on a one pet to one patient scenario.
Pet visits are common to hospitals, assisted living homes and
nursing homes. They are often nothing more than a way to entertain
people or to change their routine and brighten their day. On
the other hand, when visited by a pet, some people who have
basically shut themselves off from human interaction will begin
to work their way back to reality. Apparently, the pet stirs
emotions in them that have been lying dormant. Examples have
been given where patients who have not spoken a word in over
a year will begin to talk to the visiting dog.
Now that pet therapy has become a proven and documented reality,
institutions are beginning to capitalize on this phenomenon
with the “resident pet.” This term refers to a cat or a dog
that becomes a permanent resident of a particular facility
and is usually given free run of the place. Each resident benefits
from a proprietary interest in the animal and looks forward
to assisting in its care. In some cases, a full course of therapy
has been designed around the care and feeding of a resident
pet. The residents meet to discuss what must be done and develop
their own charts and schedules to accommodate the pet’s needs.
However, staff must be constantly on the alert to avoid problems
of jealousy and feuds over the pet’s affections.
The attributes and characteristics that comprise a good visiting
dog or therapy dog have more to do with temperament than training.
Not to say that the dog will not need training in basic obedience,
but that is normally sufficient except in extraordinary situations.
Patients and residents react to the dogs in a variety of ways.
Some are effusive, some impulsive and others are shy. Therefore,
the dogs must be ready for anything. It surely wouldn’t do
for a dog to lunge away or growl if a patient makes a loud
noise or reaches for them abruptly. When selecting a dog for
these purposes, you would not necessarily want an animal that
is high strung or one that is too laid back to get up and socialize.
Numerous studies have documented the benefits of pet therapy.
Pets have been used in treating AIDS patients, cancer patients,
the elderly and the mentally ill. One study determined that
petting a dog can lower blood pressure and another found that
pets can reduce stress related illnesses. A study at City Hospital
in New York noted that heart patients who owned pets lived
longer than those without pets. Owning a pet was found to be
more significant to long term survival than the presence of
even a spouse or friends.
Pets make us feel good. They comfort us, allow us to be ourselves
and give those of us that need it, a reason for living.
#
# # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
>
Home Page > Dog
Care Articles:
Main Page
|
