What I Need To Know
My mother has had problems with her health and body since her late 20’s. She was diagnosed with carcinoma. She luckily overcame that before I was even born. Her body may have defeated the cancer however it continuously bothers her in different areas and to different degrees of pain. She has had surgery after surgery and the doctors have recently recommended therapy. This form of therapy can be expensive when taking in account the amount of times a week and the years put into it. Hopefully through my research i can prove not only to the public but also my family members, the importance of animal therapy. If my justification is adequate and reliable, I can put this form of therapy into my family's life. Animal therapy could possibly be an alternative to what she has to endure, my research will have an even larger meaning behind it.
What I Know Or Assume
Before my research I assumed that animal therapy was like that of a service animal doing pet-like services for the patient. I visioned it as being a dog that walks with a patient or cuddles with them. The science behind it, in my mind was that the human would be healed through the love and affection from the animal (dog). My actual understanding of AAT was limited and not completely realistic. I knew little about it and thus I had some things mixed up. Aside from what the animal did, I was also unaware of the amount of animals used in AAT. I assumed that large animals couldn’t offer therapy for humans because of their size. I also believed that reptiles were completely out of the question. These were not in the slightest accurate.
My Search
At the beginning of the school year I had no idea that I would find out so much about animal therapy. I didn’t even know animal therapy was that big of a deal or had that big of an impact on other people's’ lives. I knew little to nothing about it and didn’t really have an interest in it. During my time at my mentorship, I learned more and more about animals and I happened to stumble upon a poster about animal therapy. It didn’t seem like much to me before, but as the research project crept closer and closer and my decision to choose a topic was underway, I figured that I could give it a try. My understanding of animal therapy was pretty inaccurate as stated before and as I learned more and more about it, I began to have more knowledge and understanding, as well as respect for the organization. My first true step to researching my topic began on Galileo. This is where I first found out the scientific benefits to the therapy: statistics and data based on physical pain and Oxytocin levels. Further into my research, I focused more on the opinions than facts. This included the patients experience after the therapy session and the actual procedures they had to go through. Each type of result leaned on the good parts of animal therapy and its benefits. The first article I read however provided a disadvantage section and the harm AAT may cause, specifically to the elderly. This was reassuring when on the issue of bias and credibility of the article. Later into the research I watched a few videos, mostly advertisements and donation calls. I also searched long and hard for someone to interview as part of my research journey. I preferred a face to face interview however that couldn’t be done so I emailed a couple companies; one responded back. They were immensely helpful and they definitely went straight to the point. While communicating with them I learned far more than what I could from the article research. They were for sure educated in this department of therapy. Natalie Porter, my person, was more realistic than the articles. She told me how difficult it can be to apply for their type of therapy, but she didn’t leave out the miracles an animal can bring to a human’s health.
What I Discovered
Animal-assisted Therapy (AAT) is a type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. The goal of AAT is to improve a patient's social, emotional, or cognitive functioning. Animals can be useful for educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. Animals used in therapy include domesticated pets, farm animals and marine mammals (such as dolphins).
Originating in 1978 by Dr. David Nathanson, Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has been used as a therapeutic approach to increase motor skills and speech in patients who have been diagnosed with developmental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities, such as mental retardation, Down syndrome, and autism. Many believe that the unconditional love and support a dolphin offers can benefit children and other mentally ill patients by helping them learn to develop trust.
Equine Assisted Therapy (EAP) uses horses experientially for learning and emotional growth. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, it is considered a short-term approach. The focus of EAP is not riding or horsemanship. It involves setting up ground activities involving the horses.
Deciding which animal to chose when looking into this type of therapy isn’t as difficult as some may think. People have the ability to chose whichever animal they want. Horses (EAP) are recommended for younger individuals because of the intensity of the therapy. Cats have been used for therapy as well, for individuals that may be intimidated or afraid of dogs.
The health benefits that are accompanied with animal therapy range from physical to psychological. AAT has been proven to be linked to lower blood pressure and slower pulse rate. It also provides a significantly higher survival rate from heart attacks and accelerates the recovery rates from illnesses and surgery. AAT benefits on the psychological end include a decrease in depression, anxiety and isolation. In addition to that, an increase in sense of well being and confidence as well as socialization and interaction with others.
Animals each have their own ability to heal a person, however the human must put as much effort as the animal. Being around an animal can be healing in itself however with the right animal selection and trainer, it can have unbelievable relieving effects.
Originating in 1978 by Dr. David Nathanson, Dolphin Assisted Therapy (DAT) has been used as a therapeutic approach to increase motor skills and speech in patients who have been diagnosed with developmental, physical, and/or emotional disabilities, such as mental retardation, Down syndrome, and autism. Many believe that the unconditional love and support a dolphin offers can benefit children and other mentally ill patients by helping them learn to develop trust.
Equine Assisted Therapy (EAP) uses horses experientially for learning and emotional growth. Because of its intensity and effectiveness, it is considered a short-term approach. The focus of EAP is not riding or horsemanship. It involves setting up ground activities involving the horses.
Deciding which animal to chose when looking into this type of therapy isn’t as difficult as some may think. People have the ability to chose whichever animal they want. Horses (EAP) are recommended for younger individuals because of the intensity of the therapy. Cats have been used for therapy as well, for individuals that may be intimidated or afraid of dogs.
The health benefits that are accompanied with animal therapy range from physical to psychological. AAT has been proven to be linked to lower blood pressure and slower pulse rate. It also provides a significantly higher survival rate from heart attacks and accelerates the recovery rates from illnesses and surgery. AAT benefits on the psychological end include a decrease in depression, anxiety and isolation. In addition to that, an increase in sense of well being and confidence as well as socialization and interaction with others.
Animals each have their own ability to heal a person, however the human must put as much effort as the animal. Being around an animal can be healing in itself however with the right animal selection and trainer, it can have unbelievable relieving effects.