INTRODUCTION: The US Census in 2000 has reported that, during the late 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century there has been a large increase in the number of elderly people living in the United States of America, which will likely result in an increased incidence of dementia. In recent years, dog-assisted therapy has been widely regarded as a generally accepted method of providing elderly residents with good feelings and an increase in self-maintenance behavior. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy on elderly residents with dementia. I predict that dog-assisted therapy will help elderly people with dementia with their behavioral and emotional problems such as aggression, agitation and psychosis. LITERATURE REVIEW Several studies have examined the effects of dog ownership on people's physical and mental health. Dog ownership produces considerable health benefit and provides social support that encourages dog owners to walk (Cutt et al.2007 ). Pet owners appear to have lower systolic blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels(Anderson et al 1992). Pet owners with serious mental illness living in the community demonstrate higher social community integration(Zimalog and Krupa 2009). Socially excluded participants who performed in the presence of a dog report higher mental well-being compared with socially excluded participants who did not work in the presence of a dog (Nilüfer et al 2012). Although there is evidence suggesting that dog ownership can improve people's physical and mental health, there is little research documenting the psychological and behavioral effects of dog-assisted therapy, especially on elderly patients with dementia, who have dif... ... middle of paper ... ...an-use-pet-therapy-to-care-for-their-loved-one/ Cutt, Hayley, Billie Giles-Corti, Matthew Knuiman, Valerie Burke. “Dog Ownership, Health and PhysicalActivity:ACritical Review of the Literature.” Health & Place 13.1 (2007): 261-272. Nilüfer Aydina,Joachim I. Kruegerb, Julia Fischera, Dana Hahna, Andreas Kastenmüllerc, Dieter Freya, Peter Fischer “Man's Best Friend: How the Presence of a Dog Reduces Mental Distress After Social Exclusion.” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 48.1 (2012): 446-449. Vann Madeline “How Animal Therapy Helps Dementia Patients” Everyday Health Blog, (2010). http://www.everydayhealth.com/alzheimers/how-animal-therapy-helps-dementia-patient s.asp Zimolag, Ulrike and Terry Krupa. “Pet Ownership as a Meaningful Community Occupation for People with Serious Mental Illness.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy 63.2 (2009): 126-137.
Some medical professionals do not believe that mental health patients can benefit from therapy dogs and go as far as saying it is a risk far as to say that it is a to the patient and compromise the patients ability to take care of the dog. When people who suffer with mental health issues qualify to get a therapy dog. The mental health patient is tested to see if they are capable of taking care of the dog. Those in need of assistance should use therapy dogs frequently do to the part of the benefits to using these pets to improve mental and emotional health as and physical health. Therapy dogs are beneficial to people who suffer from mental health issues by providing companionship as well as support. Some people with mental health issues have a hard time trusting others and need someone to talk to; Service dogs are important because to make they people with mental health problems feel better and help people with these disorders deal with their emotions.
A couple of emotional problems have been tested by researchers in 2011. This study was known as the Applied Animal Behaviour Science. This was the first quantitative data made about puppy mill dogs. The research was done on more than 1,100 dogs who had averagely had a new home for about two years. The research showed “The dogs were found to have s...
Managing the behavior of dogs consists of many different ways, and two authors talked about their own methods on how to deal with them. Mark Derr explained how he disagreed with Cesar Millan’s way of handling dogs and training them with the use of physical intimidation. Concurring with Mark Derr’s way of training dogs is considered, in my opinion, the best and harmless method, unlike Cesar Millan’s way, whose method is rather aggressive and violent. However, some of the claims of both dog experts seem to be accurate in different point of views, such as how Mark Derr stated that aggression can lead to injury and death, as well as how Cesar Millan claimed that being exhausted from all day work leads to a calm sleep. Regardless, my opinion is that some of both Cesar Millan and Mark Derr’s claims are credible, and a few are considered inappropriate.
Animals have long been part of human lives serving many purposes from companionship or serve purposes in healthcare history. Pets provide a valuable companionship for older adults and help people grow up in a more secure and active life, as well as playing an important role in the health of a person. Animals provide a relationship centered and compassionate role in the healing and dying journey of their loved one and in general can be of great benefit to both the mental and overall health of an older adult. Pets can offer a variety of health benefits and improvement in quality of life for older adults such as decrease of social isolation, increase positive behaviors, distraction from pain or traumatic thoughts. Pet therapy can advance nursing profession by expanding the horizons in which
Most people are familiar with service dogs and have seen them in action. Animal-assisted therapy is similar service animals in that an animal-human healing partnership is being created. However, the difference is that therapy pets are typically used to treat a mental disability whereas people with physical disabilities use service dogs to help them in many ways. Therapy animals are used in a wide variety of places, such as, hospitals, prisons, nursing homes, therapy sessions, mental healthcare facilities, and even in people’s homes. These amazing animals are used on a wide variety of different disorders, but they are utilized mostly by people suffering from depression, anxiety, and PTSD. For people with these mental health disorders, everything in live can be difficult and challenging, however with the help of animal-assisted therapy, their mood, motivation, and life can dramatically improve. Anyone who hears about these brave, loving animals soon falls in love with them. From a medical standpoint, there have been many successful studies and the support for animal-assisted therapy still continues to grow in doctors and therapists across the nation.
Winkler, A. et al. "The Impact of a Resident Dog on an Institution for the Elderly: Effects on Perceptions and Social Interactions." Gerontologist. 29 (1989): 216-23.
In the field of therapy, there are numerous of therapy available out there for different type of individuals and situations as well. There is one type of therapy that usually contains people and animal, it is animal-assisted therapy is a therapeutic approach that brings animals and individuals with physical and/or emotional needs together to perform the therapy. Animal-assisted therapy tend to be focused on individuals either children or elderly for them to be able to connect with the animal thus feeling comfortable talking with the therapist. Pet therapy works for all ages, whether sick or not (Lanchnit, 2011). Although, this paper, most of the focus is on animal-assisted therapy towards children using dogs.
Having a dog can be a great experience for people who enjoy their company. These animals are usually friendly and active; they are intelligent and can develop a strong relationship with their owners based on love and care. However, having dogs is a big responsibility for the person who owns them, because they are animals, so they cannot support themselves. Dogs need someone who can feed them, give them love, and someone who can help them exercise. Moreover, these animals need big spaces in order to run and develop their muscles, so the owner has to know that he needs to take a walk with the dog several times a day.
A dog can give you a constant companion, and can greatly reduce stress in your life. Pet owners often have better health, get sick less often and report having less stress than those who don't own pets. As you get older, it's important to consider your health more and more. Dogs are a great choice for seniors who feel isolated or who have recently lost a love one; the addition of a dog to your life can greatly ease the pain and suffering you may have gone through and do wonders to fill the void.
Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT), which can be provided in a group or individual settings, is designed to promote improvement in a human’s physical, social, emotional, or cognitive function. An article by Chitic, Rusu, and Szamoskozi (2012) provides an analysis in order to determine the value of AAT. Both dogs and horses that were trained for AAT were examined and studied to determine their effectiveness in treating patients with psychological disorders. The results showed that both therapy dogs and horses were valuable aids to the therapeutic process. The analysis suggests that proper training and repeated sessions were necessary for proper treatment of patients. In addition, certain disorders may benefit more than others in regards to AAT. For example, a child with ADHD may not benefit from a therapy dog’s presence, for it may worsen the hyperactive symptoms. On the other hand, a patient with depression may benefit greatly from the same animal (Chitic, Rusu, Szamoskozi, 2012). These findings are a perfect starting point to answering the research question: Do patients who engage in AAT display a betterment in their overall emotional well-being, as well as show improvement in their interpersonal interactions...
Over the last decade people have spent double what they have in the past, on their pets. Studies have shown that companion animals are have beneficial effects on people with serious illnesses and even mental illnesses. The studies even show that companion animals lower blood pressure, serum triglycerides, and cholesterol levels. Just playing with a companion animal has been shown to promote improvement of the human immune system, and neurochemicals related to bonding and relaxation. Pets have even been shown to help with the functioning of people with developmental disabilities. People with disorders such as ADHD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia have also been helped by animals. The mental health field has failed to appreciate the importance of the bonds between patients and their pets. Many mental health professionals have viewed people, whose closest relationships are with pets, are socially incompetent. However, studies show that animals actually help with
Owning a pet can have many physical and mental health benefits. Medical studies show having a pet result's in lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and triglyceride levels. Pets have a role in cardiovascular health from lowering blood pressure, and they encourage psychosocial stability in owners, which further reduces the risk of heart disease. In the hectic and fast-paced world we live in today, pets are actually saving our lives. Pets provide an excuse to be active, dogs live an active lifestyle, wanting to play and run around outside. By making us more active and improving our health, dogs often provide a good workout! Instead of sitting on the couch being lazy, dogs are eager to transfer their energy and enthusiasm to the owner benefiting both dog and owner in many ways. Studies show that dogs demonstrate trust and provide comfort to the sick or elderly thus helping people to live longer and to be more positive as they age. Animal owners over 75 years of age have f...
I believe animals play an immense role in the health and happiness of the humans around them. Both my experiences and scientific evidence prove truth behind my belief. Ian Cook, MD, a psychiatrist and director of Depression Research and Clinic Program at UCLA, states “Pets offer an unconditional love that can be very helpful to people with depression.”
The high demands that are placed on pet owners when a dog is selected sometimes wreak havoc soon after it is introduced into the family. Dogs are high maintenance with an above average degree of time requirements that usually become a hindrance to pet owners in the early phase of ownership. The cat does not present these problems, which is part of the low maintenance advantage many pet owners seek. Dogs can have separation anxiety, use the bathroom in the home for spite when left alone for long hours, and usually requires lots of exercise which mandates the pet owner to be available during the day to provide the appropriate amount of exercise needed by
Would you like to live a happy and productive life? Then get pets! I must admit it is hard to believe that domesticated animals can promote mental and physical health, but many studies have shown that they can. People who own pets have been known to lead longer and happier lives than those without them. As we get older, we become less active. The more inactive we become, the higher our risk of death. We therefore need something in our lives to keep us busy so we don’t die prematurely, and a pet is just the thing to do it. This is probably because of the companionship, exercise, and responsibility that they provide. On the other hand, you must find a pet that is compatible with you or with your life style. Maintaining good mental health is crucial for living a normal life.