Animal-assisted therapy

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of AAT is to improve a patient’s social, emotional, or cognitive functioning.

Practitioners claim that animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. A therapist who brings along a pet may be viewed as being less threatening, increasing the rapport between paitient and therapist. Animals commonly used for therapy include dogs, cats, horses, birds, rabbits, and other small animals.

Dogs are common in animal-assisted therapy.

History

The earliest reported case of AAT for the mentally ill took place at the York Retreat in England, led by William Tuke in the late 18th century. Patients at this facility were allowed to wander the courtyards and gardens that were full of small domestic animals, proven to be effective tools for socialization. In 1860, the Bethlem Hospital in England followed the same trend and added animals to the ward, greatly influencing the morale of the patients living there.

Modern Animal-Assisted Therapy

Animals can be used in a variety of settings – prisons, nursing homes, mental institutions and hospitals, in the home, and in society. They are always analyzed for internal and external parasites before therapy can begin.

Pets and Stress

The therapeutic effects of human-animal relationships can be related to changes in physical health as well. A 1988 study, conducted by Julia K. Vormbrock and John M. Grossberg, reviewed the physiological effects of petting and talking to dogs. The patients were first selected for positive or neutral opinions of dogs. The researchers discovered that blood pressure was lowest while petting the dogs, slightly higher when talking to the dogs, and highest when speaking with the experimenter. This reduction in blood pressure is important news for individuals with hypertension, and this simple alternative to medicine could be helpful for patients.

An initial study, which was published in 1980 and conducted by Friedmann et al, on coronary heart disease patients suggested that pet owners lived longer than people who did not own pets. They believed this occurred for several reasons. First, owning an animal demands a lot of work and a regular routine. This sense of responsibility can be beneficial for individuals who are retired and do not have any kind of scheduled activity for the day. Second, pets can provide full love and attention unconditionally, unlike humans that often bring negative emotions to a relationship. Humans also demand speech in interactions, while communication with pets can often occur without a spoken word. Finally, maintaining one’s attention on a fish or an animal playing can have a relaxing effect in the same way as holding attention in meditation. Overall, there is a sense of companionship and stress-relief in pet ownership..

Pets can promote kindness in children.

Prisons

Pets are given to prisoners to elicit affectionate care from violent individuals. In 1975 at the Lima State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, social worker David Lee presented the inmates with small animals like fish, birds, and gerbils. The inmates were so appreciative of the new creatures that Lee was able to establish a reward system where people could work towards owning one of their own pets. Overall, the inmates did not change so drastically as to suggest they could be sent back into society, but the number of fights did reduce significantly and suicide attempts nearly ceased altogether. Even with their history of violence against humans, they were able to have warm relationships with the pets provided. The relationship between staff and inmates improved as well and positive communication was established.

Nursing Homes

For the elderly, the companionship of owning a pet can be valuable, especially if they do not have any family or friends nearby to visit. The pet loves them in an unconditional way that supports their idea of identity; they can, in effect, make someone feel young and worthwhile again. They also provide an opportunity for fun and relaxation.

Mental Institutions and Hospitals

The conditions of mental institutions have improved over the years, but patients can still have anxiety when they are hospitalized. Dr. Barker and Dr. Dawson (1998) performed a study on the use of AAT in reducing anxiety levels of institutionalized patients. They determined that anxiety levels were significantly reduced in patients with mood disorders and psychotic disorders after a session of AAT. In fact, for the patients with psychotic disorders, those who participated in AAT had twice the reduction in anxiety scores as those who participated in some other form of recreational activity. This suggests the low demands of human-animal interaction was effective for individuals with psychotic disorders as compared to traditional therapy.

The National Capital Therapy Dogs Inc., a non-profit, all-volunteer organization that provides animal-assisted therapy to many people in health facilities, shelters, schools and libraries, has more than fifty teams of pet/human therapist combinations that work with patients that have severe medical conditions. They are able to improve morale for people who are undergoing intense medical treatments, reducing depression and anxiety as well as chronic pain. Walking with the dogs can improve circulation as well, especially for patients who spend most of their day in bed.^{[citation needed]}

Equine therapy

Hippotherapy can be an effective treatment for people with physical or mental challenges.

A distinction exists between hippotherapy and therapeutic riding. The American Hippotherapy Association defines hippotherapy as a physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated intervention program to achieve functional outcomes, while the Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship International (PATHI) defines therapeutic riding as a riding lesson specially adapted for people with special needs.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Care farming
• Service animal

Sources cited

• Barker, S.; Dawson, K. (1998). "The effects of animal-assisted therapy on the anxiety ratings of hospitalized psychiatric patients". Psychiatric Services 49: 797–801. 

External links

• Rebecca Skloot, "Creature Comforts", New York Times, December 31, 2008