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Recommended: Benefits of pets
The potential therapeutic qualities of companion animals have been recognized and explored long ago from the Ancient Egyptians to the Ancient Greeks. Records indicate that the ancient Egyptians worshipped and praised cats, treating them like they were royalty, and even mummifying and burying them in blessed/sacred vaults beside the Nile River. Similarly, the Ancient Greeks went so far as to build Temples specifically for “healing” dogs. Overall, studies suggest that animals indeed maintain numerous therapeutic attributes that ultimately improve both the mental and physical health of an individual. The medical history that pertains to the advantageous use of animals for therapeutic purposes is extensive. One exemplifying individual …show more content…
It could be a safe place for them. Some people confuse pet therapy with Animal Assisted Activities, they are different because pet therapy is for patients working towards specific goals when AAA sessions are more casual and seeking enjoyment and comfort with the animals around them. For children with disabilities, that type of companionship can also include inestimable physical and emotional therapy. Whether it's enhancing muscles through horseback riding, feeling inspired to improve while swimming with dolphins or gathering confidence with the benefit and companionship of a service animal, kids with disabilities can benefit from many different kinds of animals and is proven that it genuinely helps them improve in their own …show more content…
Edward Creagan, a professor at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, has encouraged patients to get pets for the last 30 years."Studies suggest that pets can do more than keep you young at heart," he said during an educational summit. Depending on the nature of your therapy and type of animal involved, "They can help keep your heart-and the rest of you-younger and healthier." To support his recommendations, his own studies show that pet owners are four times more likely to live a full year after surviving a heart attack than non-owners. A wellness program involving animal health, human health and environmental concerns should be done for animals participating in AAA and AAT. All animals involved in this therapeutic work should be healthy and of good temperament. Animals should be closely monitored for signs of stress. They also undergo periodic behavioral assessment and if needed, participate in behavior monitoring and rehabilitation
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.
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.
Seigel, J. M. "Stressful Life Events and use of Physician Services Among the Elderly: The Moderating Role of Pet Ownership." Journal of Personality & Social Psychology 58 (1990): 108-86.
The use of dogs to assist in the treatment of physically and sexually abused children is an effective tool in the treatment and healing process. Animal assisted therapy, which includes the dog in the actual therapeutic process, allows a child to view the dog as a model and reassurance. The dog is a nonjudgmental entity, which augments the level of self-esteem the child is internalizing and stimulates their communication of feelings.
In animal-assisted therapeutic programs, dogs have proved to be very useful (De Balogh et al., 1993) . They have been associated with survival
Due to pets having such a positive impact on overall health of people, animal assisted therapy (AAT) has been a growing field. Currently, Mayo Clinic has 28 certified therapy animals, on a volunteer basis, with the demand for AAT visits from physicians and patients increasing. To help grow the animal assisted therapy program, recruit more volunteers, and serve the patient’s needs first; we need to make the AAT program more well-known in the community. By expanding the AAT program and making it more robust, Mayo Clinic has the potential to set the standards for a quality AAT program in a hospital setting, but to also help patients have a more positive experience and a shorter stay while in the hospital.
It is undeniable about the healing powers of dogs, and most fundamentally among the elderly whose conditions deteriorate because of loneliness. Too often, people who live alone or are suddenly widowed die of broken hearts. Love is the most important medicine and pets are one of nature's best sources of affection. Pets relax and calm. They take the human mind off loneliness, grief, pain, and fear. They cause laughter and offer a sense of security and protection. They also give the patients the will to live and be alive. Research has proved that heart attack patients that own pets are most likely to live longer than those without pets. Animals or rather pets, are believed to provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention. They encourage exercise and broaden the circle of one's acquaintances (Cynthia & Peggy, 2009).
The use of therapeutic dogs in nursing homes and other care or incarceration facilities is necessary in today’s world of young people, geriatric patients, and the mentally ill who exhibit various behavior and emotional problems. Dogs bring emotional support and open avenues of expression for segments of society that find it difficult to experience that support or to express otherwise.
Therapy dogs can visit many different places. This includes schools, daycares, group homes, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, and nursing homes. (What is the Difference Between a Therapy Dog vs. a Service Dog) Therapy dogs are often called “miracle workers” in the classroom. Recently, some therapy dogs were used to comfort witnesses of school shootings. Also, some colleges keep therapy dogs for their students. The idea of therapy dogs on a college campus is to help students slow down and cope with anxiety. They can also help to be a break from the pressure of school. Yale Law School uses therapy dogs because law school can be very stressful. (The Benefits of Therapy Dogs in Classrooms and on College Campuses)
A growing amount of research has proven that animals can make us healthy or healthier. Animals also can help with patients who have physical disabilities such as companionship, reduce loneliness and help the patients feel needed and important. There are many of animal who help with physical therapy. For example, a horse provides therapeutic riding. This is used for a person with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, and other with diminished motor skills. Horses also help with the posture, balance, mobility and function of the patient. Dolphins therapy offers children a chance to experience low-impact swimming in a low-stress environment. This help children focus and build motor skills. Dogs help release tension and dispel anxiety. They also can motivate children to participate in physical therapy
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...
The bond between humans and animals is an integral part of Animal-Assisted Therapy. Psychological benefits of AAT includes decreases in anxiety, isolation, and fear of procedures in hospitals. Pet ownership alone significantly decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, morbidity, and mortality one year post-heart attack. In a study, there was significant changes in the psychological state of a group of patients visited by volunteers with dogs versus volunteers
Animal Assisted Therapy is a type of treatment used for patients who need assistance with their recoveries. Banks and Banks (2002) stated that AAT or Animal Assisted Therapy have helped increase patient’s self-awareness, and has minimized the fear of social anxiety. Animals that are associated with therapy are commonly used with patients who are in hospitals, nursing homes, and therapy sessions (Velde et al., 2005). When using AAT, it is important to consider the patients approval, (Banks and Banks, 2002) it is also important to note that the patient may have allergies to animals. The physician providing AAT should also provide a different method of assistance without the animals. Alternate accommodations should be available to patients who
Animal therapy can improve patients stress levels by distracting patients from their condition and by making the patients feel a sense of normalcy through the discomfort caused by the illnesses that are affecting them. The sense of normalcy and making the patient feel that their recovery is progressing reduces much of the stress that patients are in. Stress shows itself in many ways including raised blood pressure, heart rate, breathing rate, and tightened muscles. All of these can make a patient feel more anxious and have abnormal vital signs. “Interacting with animals has been shown to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol, decrease anxiety and improve a person’s sense of wellbeing” (Miller). A therapy session that can result in this effect
Animal welfare is a fairly recent, yet troubling argument in society. This subject is a strong argument on a variety of opinions. Animal welfare has become a major issue and has grown internationally. The human concern and the safety and rights of animals is the meaning of the concept of animal welfare. Through decades of animal welfare, people fight to prevent the action of animal cruelty and bring help towards animal rights.