Animals have been constant companions, workers, and protectors at the side of humans for as long as anyone can remember. Horses help with travel, cats help keep mice out of the house, and dogs help herd cattle. However, the bond that can develop between four-legged animals and humans can be even more valuable than just helping get work done. A soldier coming home from war or a child scared to make friends can find solace and warmth in a special bond developed with animals through animal-assisted therapy. Animal-assisted therapy are therapy programs that involve using trained animals as a form of treatment to enhance an individual's physical, emotional and social well-being, thus improving self-esteem, reducing anxiety and facilitating healing ( source 1).
Animal-assisted therapy was first introduced in 1792 at a mental institute in England. From then on, many other institutes began experimenting with the therapy program to help treat certain disorders and in rehabilitation programs as some institutes. It was first introduced into programs in the United States in 1944 and since then has been growing in popularity as an effective way to aid in treatments (PDF 2). However, even with growing popularity, not much research has been done to conclusively confirm the measurable results and benefits of animal-assisted therapy. Through the research that has been conducted, it has, thus far, leaned to animal-assisted therapy being a reasonable and beneficial option for therapy.
Along with helping soldiers recover from post-traumatic stress and aiding in children becoming more confident, animal-assisted therapy also helps treat a variety of other health problems and mental disorders as well. For children, animals can take the role of bec...
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... of certain health problems and disorders is the basis on which animal-assisted therapy is built. Research has shown that pet ownership is beneficial to both the pet and owner. In the research, pet ownership has a relationship to cardiovascular health, a strengthened immune system, and a decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol levels (PDF 3). Studies have also shown that a constant animal companion lowers anxiety. By drawing attention outside, by having patients focus on the animals, anxiety, depression, pain, and anger can be mitigated.
References:
1. Weil, Andrew, M.D. "Wellness Therapies." Animal Assisted Therapy. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2014. .
2. Uyemura, Brandi. "The Truth About Animal-Assisted Therapy | Psych Central." Psych Central.com. Psych Central, 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Since psychology’s founding, animals has been used as an important way for psychologist to test their hypnosis, and conduct experiments. From Pavlov’s experiments with Dogs and response, to a modern lab studying the brain of sleeping rats, Animals have provided a huge opening in psychological testing. A significant amount of psychological tests would be impossible without the use of animals. Some people claim the psychological research on animals is inhumane citing psychological test involving electric shocks. Others, however, claim that psychological testing on animals, not only provides important research to help improve the lives of both people and animal, but also creates a way to preform test that would be impossible with human subjects.
...an-use-pet-therapy-to-care-for-their-loved-one/ Cutt, Hayley, Billie Giles-Corti, Matthew Knuiman, Valerie Burke. “Dog Ownership, Health and PhysicalActivity:ACritical Review of the Literature.” Health & Place 13.1 (2007): 261-272.
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.
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
Research has been done in the area of human-animal companionship and security, and stress management. 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).
Animals always accompanied people in different activities. Thus, one of the animals that help people is a horse which is used for rehabilitation known as hippotherapy since the Hippocrates times. Hippotherapy is currently a very know method of rehabilitation used in many neurological, psychiatric and physical disorders on patients of all ages. In particular, it is often used as an element of a complex therapy for children so hippotherapy is a one form of rehabilitation which can help children to improve with physical and mental disorders.
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.
In animal-assisted therapeutic programs, dogs have proved to be very useful (De Balogh et al., 1993) . They have been associated with survival
For example, it has been proven that therapy dogs stimulate memory and problem solving skills in a classroom environment. Also, interaction with a therapy dog has been shown to reduce blood pressure. In hospitals, therapy dogs can comfort someone during a surgery, recovery, or if they are just experiencing pain. A study showed that hospital patients with a therapy dog had less pain and recovered quicker and better. Therapy dogs have also been proven to promote self esteem. About ten percent of teens have an anxiety disorder. Therapy dogs can help these students by creating laughter to lift moods. (The Benefits of Therapy Dogs in Classrooms and on College
This has led to the belief that dogs can provide company, affection and support to people who are going through a difficult time or who feel lonely. Dogs have aided humans in tasks such as hunting, livestock herding, and guarding. However, as society moved from small rural communities to increasingly large metropolitan areas, the dog’s role changed. Throughout the years a more specific type of canine has helped improve the quality of human life in many ways. These animals are known as therapy dogs. Therapy dogs have been tremendously helpful; providing physical and psychological stability for students and health patients, assisting federal governments to boost morale, and presently, studies are being done to substitute medication for therapy dogs.
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 companions have long enriched our lives, and for some, have become an integral part of the family. According to the 2017-2018 APPA National Pet Owners Survey, there has been a consistent increase in pet ownership over the last couple of decades, such that 68%, or 84.6 million, U.S. households own a pet; 48% of which own dogs and 38% own feline companions. Research suggests that owning a pet or being treated with animal-assisted therapy (AAT) may provide social and physical benefits to humans. For this literature review, we will explore the major findings of AAT and pet-related research over the last several decades with an emphasis on the physiological effects and social support benefits of owning canine companions.
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...
Pets, of all different kinds, can offer much more than just companionship. Pets always seem to be there for their owners, especially when they are going through hard times. These animals can do so much more than many think. They are able to contribute to a better physical and mental health of the pet owner. Since working with animals can have a positive on social, mental, and physical effects, people of all ages can benefit from owning a pet.
The positive advantages of the pet and owner relationship have also been evident in the Mental Health Field. For example, having a pet tends to obstruct the propensity toward a negative self-outlook in individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, and ADHD and increases individual participation in their environment by viewing their surroundings in non-threatening ways (Borker & Dawson, 1998; Beck, 2005). Further, the benefits that pets provide has also been demonstrated to lessen symptoms of depression in AIDS patients, ease symptoms of depression and loneliness in older adults, and reduce suffering and anxiety in hospice...