In the nursing home, Miriam stays in her room for long hours of the day. Without family she has no one to visit her during the year. Miriam suffers from depression and anxiety caused by being alone and barely having any human interaction all day. One day a nurse suggested that Miriam join an animal-assisted therapy program in order to be able to deal with her depression. In 1972 the Society of Friends founded a mental asylum that used animals in order for their patients to be able to have a peaceful interaction with another creature. Animal-assisted therapy is very beneficial form of therapy for the patient, it reduces and improves many symptoms that the patient is struggling with. Due to the fact that many senior citizens in nursing homes often feel lonely and isolated, animal-assisted therapy can be a good way for them to have a companion and be more social with not only their animal, but other humans too.
"AAT is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession.” (Pet Partners 1) Although most people think that the only animal used in animal-assisted therapy is a dog, there are other animals that can be used for the animal-assisted therapy. Some people may also think that animals in animal-assisted therapy are service animals but they are not. Animals that participate in animal-assisted therapy work with their professional handler and the client unlike service animals who work with their individual owner. There is a wide variety of animals that can be used for animal-assisted therapy and the types o...
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...ts on the patient, and the animals also serve as role models to the patient. The methods of animal-assisted therapy vary on who the client is. For example the methods used for a patient with dementia is different than the methods used for a patient that does not have dementia. Methods include visits from the pets, visits to other places that have animals and also clubs, including environmental clubs. The effects of animal-assisted therapy are very beneficial because the therapy reduces the client's anxiety and also increases human-interaction skills, and self-esteem in the patient. Although there is not much history for animal-assisted therapy there are a few case studies on patients that have a disorder, or are socially unresponsive and receive the therapy. In the case studies the clients usually improve on many things including their interactions and responses.
Equine-assisted therapy, also known as equine therapy or equestrian therapy, is a type of animal-assisted therapy intended to teach, counsel, and/or rehabilitate people with disabilities. This type of experiential therapy includes activities such as: grooming and caring for, haltering and leading, tacking up, and riding horses. Each of those activities foster interactions between the rider or patient, and horse, building a bond between the human and horse. In a typical equestrian therapy setting, usually a dedicated therapeutic barn, a mental health professional and/or an “equine therapist can observe and interact with the patient in order to identify behavior patterns and process thoughts and emotions” (“What Is Equine Therapy?”). In some
Equine veterinarians are animal doctors who provide medical care for horses. They examine, test and occasionally operate on or euthanize the animals. Travel to ranches and farms is often necessary, and equine vets have to work outdoors in various types of weather conditions. Being an equine veterinarian is a pleasant career choice because of great interactions with varied types of horses and their owners , the basic information, and the pros and cons of an equine veterinarian.
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
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... ...
considered to have emotional disturbances and were not in the general classroom all day. These children where in an individual school for children with bad behaviors. The research noted that many of the children were getting the benefit of the classroom, but when crisis arose they would revert back to their bad behaviors. An example of this was a boy who was doing well in the classroom with his behaviors, but when his parents were arrested on felony charges, his behavior became unstable. When the research had started, the school social workers in the schools had therapy dogs and where trained in Animal Based Therapy. When the children’s behaviors acted up, they were sent to the social workers office where the dogs would be. Just by petting the dogs and sitting with them while they were talking to the therapist, the children showed vast improvement in their behavior after the crisis and where more likely to discuss their problems openly. The dogs gave the children support and guidance, which allowed then to open up. (Geist, 2011).
Animal cruelty occurs all over the world. The human race has a major effect on the natural world, especially animals. Animal cruelty is an example of how man has taken advantage of his power. Those exhibiting cruelty towards animals have been proven to have a tendency to harbor violent psychological problems. Animal cruelty occurs all over the world. Fortunately, many countries have enacted laws and penalties to stop this harsh behavior.
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.
You wake up in the hospital, look around, and find a doctor hovering nearby declaring that you have just suffered through a heart attack; affirming that if not for your dog, you would have died. You remember back to earlier that day: sitting on the couch, feeling a little off, hearing your dog barking, sensing him nudging you, going to the phone to call the ambulance, and having your dog by your side until you were safe inside the aluminum walls of the emergency vehicle. Although it sounds abnormal that a dog would be the one to save someone’s life, situations similar to the one above are not uncommon. Dogs and other household pets have been shown to be able to detect medical emergencies, including heart attacks and seizures, in their owners.
When I was little my teachers would ask me “Cora, What do you want to be when you grow up”? In reality, I couldn’t make up my mind on what I wanted to be ‘when I grew up’. When I was around seven, I went from wanting to be a Veterinarian to being an Astronaut, then back to a Veterinarian again. Around age 10, I wanted to be a dentist, even though I hate mouths. Then I wanted to be a Veterinarian again. Junior Year of high school came and when we started to research colleges and careers I heard that Premed programs were so hard to get into, and I wasn’t fooling anyone with my grades. I did some research on Veterinarians and I discovered that the Veterinarians don’t really handle the animals like I thought they did. Then I learned about Veterinary Technicians, they do so much with the animals. I
There are many different types of service dogs. There are dogs that work with police and firemen, there are dogs that work with the military, there are guide dogs, and there are dogs that help people with a variety of disorders. In Debra McKinney’s online article “Service dogs provide barrier against anxiety” she researches the relationship between a woman named Sara and her service dog Hannah. Sara had a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder as well as severe depression and social anxiety. She had tried many different medications, different therapists, but her brain was still overwhelmed with constant thoughts of suicide. When it seemed like all was lost, Sara found Hannah. Hannah was a golden retriever Labrador trained specifically to help Sara with her multiple...
(1999). Dogs in animal shelters: Problems, suggestions, and needed expertise. American Psychological Society, 10 (5), 379 – 386.
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...
Animal Cruelty has many forms, many reasons and most importantly many victims. It is a growing problem in today’s society. Many people may wonder why people abuse animals. The thought is simple, however the answer is a little more complex, there are three main types of animal cruelty. The three reasons are as follows: unintentional, intentional, and cruel intentions. I will discuss each one in more detail.
Animal experimentation is contentious issue in today’s society that, whether it continue or should stop. Many animals such as monkey undergo painful suffering or even death as a result of scientific research for the sake of humans’ health. Among the animals monkeys are the main victims of the scientists’ experiments because of their human-like characteristics and physical process to humans. Monkeys’ similarities allow the scientists to test effectiveness of the new discovered drugs, food additives, and chemical and even cosmetics products. Although, such medical experimentations had helped scientists to produce vaccines, and medicines that are necessary for elimination of some deceases, but the test had negative medical effect on monkeys.