Laura Bradford
Professor Cowan
English 1320.004
8.4.14
Animal-Assisted Therapy The bond between humans and animals has, for thousands of years, been acclaimed for its positive forces on emotional, physical, and cognitive healing processes. AAT has gained gained popularity in recent years, but because of a lack of scientific evidence to back up claims made regarding the benefits of the practice, many healthcare professionals dismiss AAT as a substantial form of therapy. Pet Partners, the largest organization in the United States to establish training courses for therapy animals as well as provide service and therapy animals (Palley, O’Rourke, and Neimi 200), defines animal-assisted therapy (AAT) as “a goal-directed intervention delivered and/or directed by health or human service providers working within the scope of their profession in which an animal meeting specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process.” AAT is designed to promote improvement in human
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Therapy animals can ease feelings of loneliness, boredom, and the stress of everyday problems for long-term patients. For elders who don’t have family or friends who visit on a regular basis, therapy animals can provide love and affection through physical contact that the patient may not receive enough of. In his article, “Therapy Dogs in the Long-Term Health Care Environment,” Steve Reiman points out additional benefits elderly patients can gain: “Pets allow them, even if for a short time, to be nurturers once again. Also, in a very real physical sense, residents can stroke their warm, furry visitors, facilitating social behavior and encouraging physical movement” (Reiman 2). When patients are otherwise unmotivated to even sit up in bed, the therapy animals give them a reason to smile and move around or socialize with the human part of the therapy