Let’s talk about how therapy dogs, and any other pet, for that matter, can help you truly heal with their benefits.
What is it like to have a fur bundle to help you with any problem you might face? Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) or pet therapy uses specially trained animals in enhancing the physical, emotional, and social interaction of patients.
The goal of this animal-assisted intervention treatment is to help people strengthen their confidence, deal with increased risk, discover any anxiety symptoms, and improve their healing processes. The sessions naturally consist of the healthcare professionals or specialists, the pet, the animal handlers, and the patient.
Animal Assisted Therapy is usually used to encourage social interactions and improve the overall well-being of individuals. Before deciding to apply for an animal-assisted treatment program, we must do more research to know what it does. The following are some of the benefits for individuals.
A therapy animal can help adults to move more, stretch farther, and exercise longer. Dogs are one of the most common therapy animals. Stroke survivors, military veterans, residents of the same facility, or persons with an injury can take significant amount advantage of pet therapy.
The perks of a human-animal bond include giving comfort and motivation to the survivors for their faster recovery. A dog who is trained for treatment purposes can aid stroke survivors with their stroke recovery programs and exercises like walking.
These other animals can also help them with some simple animal-assisted activities. Brushing the dog’s fur with the help of the animal’s handler, feeding the furry friend, and snapping the dog’s leash is some example of the things that they can do together. These obedience training exercises can become their physical therapy, assist in decreasing spasticity, and increase motor skills recovery. Not just for stroke survivors but these activities can become a physical treatment for everyone.
Pet therapy programs are known to offer a range of physical and mental health benefits. These include reducing blood pressure, improving cardiovascular health, and lowering anxiety. Trained animals have a cheering and calming effect on individuals, which is why many nursing homes and hospitals now incorporate Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) programs. Additionally, AAT encourages individuals to engage in verbal communication more often.
Animal Therapy Benefits
There are also benefits of pet therapy programs for children, as it helps them to overcome any speech disorders. Animals are trained well to help individuals with mental illnesses and other mental health conditions such as Alzheimer’s, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and individuals with autism.
One study of healthcare providers showed that a person with Alzheimer’s who is interested in and interacts with service dogs had increased his recounting memories, especially if they’re in a senior living community. It also helped him improve the quality of how they live their lives. Some may not believe that animals are good companions in this manner, but science has proven it as such.
Therapy With Animals Provides Psychological And Physiological Help
More research also has shown that the use of animal assisted therapy for individuals from different age groups can decrease their stress levels in healthcare settings. It can also help in reducing your anger and aggravation, decrease hostility toward yourself, and improve social relations and verbal communication among family members and other patients. Other benefits of a therapy program include reducing your heart rate and releasing beta-endorphins, enhancing self-esteem, and trust in others for the individual.
Service animals provide many perks. Any type of animal such as dogs, cats, horses, guinea pigs, dolphins, fish, and others is typically used for something called animal-assisted therapy. Depending on what animal is needed, focus treatments can take place in a hospital, institution, or even at your own home. Although an instructional course is not needed, it is essential that the animal and the client are compatible with each other to promote social interaction or improve social skills. Also, it is necessary to check if the client has animal allergies. It will be a disastrous session in case the client has cat fur issues and the service animal to be used, well you guessed it, is a cat!
Frequently Asked Questions
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What Are The Positive Psychological Health Benefits Of Keeping Therapy Animals?
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How Can Animals Help Us Emotionally?
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When Can You Benefit From Animal-Assisted Interventions?
- What are the qualities of a good visitation therapy animal?
- Can a service animal help alleviate anxiety? In what yay?
- In what ways do service dogs help alleviate depression in people?
- Can animals sense anxiety?
- Do animals help with ADHD?
- What is the best dog for emotional support?
- Is animal therapy more effective than medications?
- How can people benefit from animal-assisted therapy?
- Does having a favorite animal really benefit your mental health and overall wellness?
- How does an animal help reduce stress and anxiety?
- Can animals help people with depression?
- How can animals boost your mood?