Post by Cournie on May 27, 2014 22:05:37 GMT -5
When you hear animal-assisted or pet therapy, you most likely think of children with a terminal illness stroking a Golden Retriever from the comfort of their hospital bed. But animal-assisted therapy is so much more than that. Animal-assisted therapy, or AAT, is used to battle physical and mental health, along with reading and speech disorders in children. Animals are also used in physical therapy to increase joint movement and motor skills in patients. It is scientifically proven that people who interact with animals on a regular basis, or own pets, hare happier than those who do not. Physical benefits include lowering blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health, and diminishing overall physical pain. Endorphins such as oxytocin are released which have a calming effect on humans and the act of petting causes an automatic relaxation response which can reduce the amount of medication some folks need. There are also mental health benefits which include a decrease in feelings of isolation and alienation, reduction in boredom and loneliness, lower anxiety levels, an increase in socialization, and can help children overcome speech and emotional disorders.
Physical health is something everyone struggles with as they age and battling it alone can be extremely taxing and hard to accomplish. But with a pet, things can be a little easier. In a study of 240 married couples, pet owners had lower blood pressure and lower heart rates during rest than those who did not own a pet. That held true even when they were undergoing stress tests. Another study shows that children with hypertension lowered their blood pressure while simply petting their dog. Along with blood pressure, cholesterol can be lowered. Researchers have noted lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in people who own pets compared to those who do not. Research has also shown that owning a cat can offer protection for your heart. Over the course of a twenty year study, people who never owned a cat were forty percent more likely to die of a heart attack than those who had. Animals can also help with overall physical fitness. Taking your dog for a thirty minute walk each day ensures that you meet the minimum recommendations for healthy physical activity and if you exercise regularly with your pet you’ll both benefit.
One key to a healthy mind is staying engaged with others and pet owners tend to be social simply because they want to talk to other pet owners. Pets can help battle mental health disorders like ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, and depression. Kids with ADHD can benefit from working with and keeping a pet. Taking charge of jobs on a pet care schedule helps a child learn to plan and be responsible. Pets need to play and playing with a pet is a great way for kids with ADHD to release excess energy. And because the bond between a pet and child is unconditional love, pets help children with ADHD learn about self esteem. The bond of unconditional love is also seen in children who have had parents unexpectedly deployed. This can cause children to suffer from extreme stress and anxiety. Animals help comfort children during these difficult times and provide relief from the stress they feel. Parkinson’s disease is battled with specially trained dogs that can perform tasks that allow people with Parkinson’s to maintain their independence. The dogs are trained to pick up dropped items or fetch requested ones. They can provide balance, open and close doors, and turn lights on and off with their paws. They can also sense when someone with Parkinson’s is “freezing” and touch their foot to let the person keep walking. When it comes to seizures, rigorously trained dogs are needed. The dogs are trained to live and work with people who have epilepsy and are used to bark and alert someone when the patient is seizing. Depression is most prominent in nursing homes. Often, therapists prescribe pets as a way of dealing with and recovering from depression because pets listen to you talk for as long as you like and caring for something constantly can make those with depression feel better about the way they spend their time. Depression in nursing homes is often caused because people are separated from loved ones, face loss of mobility, and loss of mental faculties. Animals like cats and dogs are used to help alleviate depression among the elderly population. The elderly population, like everyone, needs to feel a sense of need and purpose and that’s exactly what the animals provide. The animals are brought to live inside the nursing home with the patients. Once the patients become familiar with the animals they can sign up to care for them. Patients are able to walk, feed, and play with dogs and cats. The animals give elderly patients a sense of purpose and belonging in a place where they otherwise would feel isolated from everything they’re familiar with.
When it comes to education, animals can be extremely helpful. They provide great opportunities for entertainment and since kids are naturally drawn to animals, learning comes as a side-effect. When kids are learning to read, they’re usually shy or nervous when it comes to reading in front of a large group, class, parent, or teacher. This is when animals come into play. When reading to animals, kids believe that they’re listening to every word they say and it provides a non-judgmental environment for children to practice literacy skills in. A non-judgmental environment is the key to building a child’s confidence in reading. When reading to an animal, the child is provided with a sense of empowerment and they feel as if they’re teaching the animal something or entertaining it. A therapy dog named Quincy does just this at Peaks Mill Elementary School right here in Frankfort, Kentucky. Quincy is a Labrador Sheppard mix who was trained to listen. Each day he goes into work with his librarian owner and listens to kids read for hours. I interviewed Kristi Wilkerson, a first grade teacher a Peaks Mill Elementary, and she informed me that Quincy “encourages good behavior in students because you have to be good to read to him.” She also said her students really believe he is listening to them read she recalled one student telling her, “I need a different book because Quincy doesn’t like it. Quincy wants to read about cars.” She told me that having a dog help the students with reading is something she thinks all schools should have because there are so many benefits. Besides encouraging good behavior, Mrs. Wilkerson said it “calms students down” and “helps them learn efficiently”. I was also informed by Mrs. Wilkerson that Peaks Mill Elementary would be gaining another therapy dog this upcoming school year. The dog assists a student who suffers from frequent seizures.
Animal-assisted therapy is not only beneficial to humans, but animals as well. Animals benefit from relationships with humans because they are loved, cared for, and build bonds of unconditional love with their owners. Animals also benefit because they often they come from shelters where they would normally be euthanized. Once the animals are taken from the shelters, they’re put through special training. Whether it’s seizure, diabetic, Parkinson’s, or autism training the animals are taught to care for their owners around the clock no matter the circumstances. Animals receive physical benefits from the therapy they do such as regular exercise and of course, regular petting. Dogs especially benefit from human interaction because they’re so human oriented. Dogs love to be rubbed, talked to, and played with constantly. Animals also emotionally benefit the same way humans do. When you pet an animal it lets them know that you care for them and aren’t a predator. This reassures the animal and makes them feel safe around you.
With AAT touching the lives of the elderly, families, and children every day, there’s no question that pets can help humans. They keep down blood pressure, cholesterol, can fight depression, increase mobility in the elderly, and alert you when someone is having a seizure. Pets around the globe are trained to help their owners in a variety of ways and without therapy pets, our world would have more people that couldn’t be independent and more people who suffer from uncontrollable seizures and depression. Therapy pets are a vital part of a functioning society and are often overlooked as a viable prescription in the medical field. If you want to get involved in AAT in our area you could volunteer at Peaks Mill Elementary School, volunteer at a number of nursing homes, or volunteer to train dogs at the Humane Society. AAT is used at a number of places around our area and if you really want to get involved and learn more it’s just a matter of finding your place to plug in.
Physical health is something everyone struggles with as they age and battling it alone can be extremely taxing and hard to accomplish. But with a pet, things can be a little easier. In a study of 240 married couples, pet owners had lower blood pressure and lower heart rates during rest than those who did not own a pet. That held true even when they were undergoing stress tests. Another study shows that children with hypertension lowered their blood pressure while simply petting their dog. Along with blood pressure, cholesterol can be lowered. Researchers have noted lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in people who own pets compared to those who do not. Research has also shown that owning a cat can offer protection for your heart. Over the course of a twenty year study, people who never owned a cat were forty percent more likely to die of a heart attack than those who had. Animals can also help with overall physical fitness. Taking your dog for a thirty minute walk each day ensures that you meet the minimum recommendations for healthy physical activity and if you exercise regularly with your pet you’ll both benefit.
One key to a healthy mind is staying engaged with others and pet owners tend to be social simply because they want to talk to other pet owners. Pets can help battle mental health disorders like ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, seizures, and depression. Kids with ADHD can benefit from working with and keeping a pet. Taking charge of jobs on a pet care schedule helps a child learn to plan and be responsible. Pets need to play and playing with a pet is a great way for kids with ADHD to release excess energy. And because the bond between a pet and child is unconditional love, pets help children with ADHD learn about self esteem. The bond of unconditional love is also seen in children who have had parents unexpectedly deployed. This can cause children to suffer from extreme stress and anxiety. Animals help comfort children during these difficult times and provide relief from the stress they feel. Parkinson’s disease is battled with specially trained dogs that can perform tasks that allow people with Parkinson’s to maintain their independence. The dogs are trained to pick up dropped items or fetch requested ones. They can provide balance, open and close doors, and turn lights on and off with their paws. They can also sense when someone with Parkinson’s is “freezing” and touch their foot to let the person keep walking. When it comes to seizures, rigorously trained dogs are needed. The dogs are trained to live and work with people who have epilepsy and are used to bark and alert someone when the patient is seizing. Depression is most prominent in nursing homes. Often, therapists prescribe pets as a way of dealing with and recovering from depression because pets listen to you talk for as long as you like and caring for something constantly can make those with depression feel better about the way they spend their time. Depression in nursing homes is often caused because people are separated from loved ones, face loss of mobility, and loss of mental faculties. Animals like cats and dogs are used to help alleviate depression among the elderly population. The elderly population, like everyone, needs to feel a sense of need and purpose and that’s exactly what the animals provide. The animals are brought to live inside the nursing home with the patients. Once the patients become familiar with the animals they can sign up to care for them. Patients are able to walk, feed, and play with dogs and cats. The animals give elderly patients a sense of purpose and belonging in a place where they otherwise would feel isolated from everything they’re familiar with.
When it comes to education, animals can be extremely helpful. They provide great opportunities for entertainment and since kids are naturally drawn to animals, learning comes as a side-effect. When kids are learning to read, they’re usually shy or nervous when it comes to reading in front of a large group, class, parent, or teacher. This is when animals come into play. When reading to animals, kids believe that they’re listening to every word they say and it provides a non-judgmental environment for children to practice literacy skills in. A non-judgmental environment is the key to building a child’s confidence in reading. When reading to an animal, the child is provided with a sense of empowerment and they feel as if they’re teaching the animal something or entertaining it. A therapy dog named Quincy does just this at Peaks Mill Elementary School right here in Frankfort, Kentucky. Quincy is a Labrador Sheppard mix who was trained to listen. Each day he goes into work with his librarian owner and listens to kids read for hours. I interviewed Kristi Wilkerson, a first grade teacher a Peaks Mill Elementary, and she informed me that Quincy “encourages good behavior in students because you have to be good to read to him.” She also said her students really believe he is listening to them read she recalled one student telling her, “I need a different book because Quincy doesn’t like it. Quincy wants to read about cars.” She told me that having a dog help the students with reading is something she thinks all schools should have because there are so many benefits. Besides encouraging good behavior, Mrs. Wilkerson said it “calms students down” and “helps them learn efficiently”. I was also informed by Mrs. Wilkerson that Peaks Mill Elementary would be gaining another therapy dog this upcoming school year. The dog assists a student who suffers from frequent seizures.
Animal-assisted therapy is not only beneficial to humans, but animals as well. Animals benefit from relationships with humans because they are loved, cared for, and build bonds of unconditional love with their owners. Animals also benefit because they often they come from shelters where they would normally be euthanized. Once the animals are taken from the shelters, they’re put through special training. Whether it’s seizure, diabetic, Parkinson’s, or autism training the animals are taught to care for their owners around the clock no matter the circumstances. Animals receive physical benefits from the therapy they do such as regular exercise and of course, regular petting. Dogs especially benefit from human interaction because they’re so human oriented. Dogs love to be rubbed, talked to, and played with constantly. Animals also emotionally benefit the same way humans do. When you pet an animal it lets them know that you care for them and aren’t a predator. This reassures the animal and makes them feel safe around you.
With AAT touching the lives of the elderly, families, and children every day, there’s no question that pets can help humans. They keep down blood pressure, cholesterol, can fight depression, increase mobility in the elderly, and alert you when someone is having a seizure. Pets around the globe are trained to help their owners in a variety of ways and without therapy pets, our world would have more people that couldn’t be independent and more people who suffer from uncontrollable seizures and depression. Therapy pets are a vital part of a functioning society and are often overlooked as a viable prescription in the medical field. If you want to get involved in AAT in our area you could volunteer at Peaks Mill Elementary School, volunteer at a number of nursing homes, or volunteer to train dogs at the Humane Society. AAT is used at a number of places around our area and if you really want to get involved and learn more it’s just a matter of finding your place to plug in.