Improving Patient Well-being through Pet Therapy Introduction 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 …show more content…
Pet therapy could also make nursing care in general feel more like a type of home type care, versus a hospitalization if their pet or pet therapy animal is able to visit and interact with them during their stay. Due to pets depending on their owners for survival, this gives an owner a sense of worth and responsibility for another living being, especially for those adults who are widowed, divorced or single. This paper explores the benefits of animal assisted therapy, which is supported through the direct visualizations that were made on visits made at different assisted skilled facilities (SNF), assisted living facilities (ALF) and long-term care facilities. This study was done to compare show the positive effect of animal and human interaction on social behaviors and well-being among older adults in healthcare facilities. Animal visits were done once to twice a week, which consisted of pet and human interaction involving conversations, and residents were encouraged to touch, pet, or interact with the therapy animal. This survey proved increased
In addition, Some elderly people have cardiovascular health problems. Cardiovascular problems occur when people get older , peoples heats can’t beat as fast during fiscal activity or stress as when they were younger. Therapy dogs could help “improve cardiovascular health.” (“?”) Service dogs are traind to Perform specific tasks to help mental health patients. People who have taken care of the elderly " have seen elderly with significant dementia who can be aggressive or mean, change their behavior when there is an animal around."
The complexity and diversity of the animal kingdom has always captivated me. This has resulted in a desire to accomplish a place in Veterinary Nursing. This aspiration has it’s origins in an early family life occupied with animals and pets, a developing interest in the science and wellbeing of animals and an expanding sense of duty for the care we owe to the creatures which convey true companionship and loyalty. Work experience and volunteering has taught me to recognise and appreciate the ‘guardian’ roles performed by the veterinarian and veterinary nurse which has served to increase my determination to pursue a career in a field which has an everlasting effect on animal companionship and welfare, as well as human industry, community and
Vet Tech has always been an option for me, helping animals is something that is very interesting. It was introduced in 1989, the AVMA officially adopted the name “Vet Tech.” In 1998, emergency vets debut on Animal Planet. And in 2008, student population grows from 500 to 700. There are about 17,000 people employed in the career field chosen. Some of the common trends of the job would be, working at Zoos, Aquariums, Boarding Kennels, and Wildlife sanctuaries. These jobs are usually found working in an animal clinic or hospitals and sometimes at farms because that is the “normal” areas for this occupation. In this career there are some general duties such as: Observe animals behavior and conditions, Provide nursing care, Bathe animals, Clip nails, groom animals hair, keep animals calm during exams or procedures. The more specific duties of the job would be to: take x-rays of animals and develop them, get utensils and prepare the animals for surgery, keep and record patient's history. Most of the clinics are open 24 hours. There is not anything that is unusual about the number of hours/nature of the job. (Bls.gov.vettech)
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...
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.
Due to the relative newness of this field and the difficulties in studying it, most research has been concentrated on the elderly, specifically, institutionalized elderly. Pets have been introduced into these settings in order to minimize the negative consequences of institutionalization. Most research has been conducted on the extreme ends of the continuum, either very brief visitation or therapy of resident pets studies (Wrinkler 216). Pet visitation programs for institutionalized elderly have found that patients often show great interest momentarily, but these effects are short-lived. The social response and involvement of the residents are only evident... ...
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.
A competitive product in the industry is PetChatz, a device which contains a screen and can be installed on the wall. The pet owner can talk and see their dog through the screen, and release treats or a comforting sense through the device by clicking on an icon.
Meta Description: Modifying your pet’s behavior can be challenging, but it can be accomplished. Here’s a quick rundown of techniques that work and how to avoid mistakes.
Your pet is a member of your family and it would be embarrassing to have it being deprived of any medical care, for the simple reason that you can’t cover all the expenses. That’s why it is important to insure your pet and we can’t emphasize it enough because a good insurance policy for your pet will prevent you from paying an expensive medical bill you didn’t plan for.
Summer is the perfect time to get out and enjoy family and friends. Not only for you but your furry family as well. Dogs enjoy getting out playing with other dogs and just having the freedom to roam and explore their surroundings. However, the summer months in the South can be detrimental to the health of your pet. It is important to learn how to keep your pets hydrated and safe during these hot months.
I will be presenting to you what type of class pet i think the first graders should have and love. Everyone’s always wanted a pet before, so, why not just get one for your classroom? It would make class so much more fun and want the children to go to school more to see the class pet! But, it won’t distract the class too much.
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...
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.
Dogs and cats are living longer lives, and as pets age, their needs for health care change, as well. For this reason, geriatric veterinary care is a growing trend in the world of veterinary medicine.