Pet Therapy
by Betty Mitchell RN BSN
Parish Nurse, Emmanuel Bethel Church, Royal Oak, Michigan
A few months ago, music therapy was discussed as a means of assisting some patients in the hospital and other settings for recovery from a variety of health-related problems.
Pet therapy is also becoming more prevalent in helping patients in the recovery process. People need and respond to touch to help nourish their mind and spirit. Animals provide a warm, soft way to feel touched. Touch from machines and other technology is not nearly as pleasant or helpful as that of a loving animal. The animals also provide a non-threatening way of communicating with family and staff members.
Well trained and screened dogs are frequently used to help people recover from or better cope with health issues. Other trained animals, such as birds, cats or even horses may be useful as well in certain environments.
The term “Pet Therapy” includes: 1) animal-assisted therapy to aid in recovery from mental health disorders, heart and other health problems: 2) animal-assisted activity, another type of “Pet Therapy” which provides a more general purpose of comfort and enjoyment for people in a hospital or nursing facility environment.
Typically, animals will visit patients with their handler in patient rooms for about 10 to 15 minutes with the patients’ permission. They are encouraged to pet the dog, talk with the handler and reminisce about their own pets. After the pet therapy visit, most patients will feel uplifted, and may well find their pain, anxiety and fatigue are decreased.
Animals, whether for therapy or activity, provide a welcome distraction not only for the patient and their family, but to workers and other patients as well.
Family members often reap benefits when they see the patient feeling better after the visit and may feel less stressed themselves.
If you or a family member are in a health care setting you may want to inquire about pet therapy or pet activities available to you or your loved one.
Source: www.mayoclinic.com/health; www.holisticonline.com/pets
