“We long for an affection altogether ignorant of our faults. Heaven has accorded this to us in the uncritical canine attachment” (“George Eliot”). Animal therapy is an actual form of therapy and should be taken more seriously as an activity for the elderly in nursing homes and hospice. More respect and appreciation should be given to those volunteers who take their own time to provide this service and genuinely care enough to devote their time to the large amounts of training. Animal therapy is a valid form of therapy for the elderly because it can significantly benefit mood, allows contact from the outside world, and it has shown positive outcomes in those who suffer from dementia.
Animal therapy is a practice whose establishment is given …show more content…
“Being depressed or anxious is linked to catching more infections and experiencing the symptoms more strongly” (Collingwood). By reducing mental stress then a person is able to maintain a stronger immunity system and therefore they will not get as sick. Many studies have shown that animal therapy does reduce blood pressure which is commonly linked to stress and anxiety. A specific study, conducted in Italy, showed that residents who interacted with a cat had much lower blood pressure than the other group that did not have the therapy session (Cherniack). This reduce in blood pressure can help patients become more stress free and it is a health benefit that is important in these elderly patients who have high risks of strokes and heart attacks. The use of an animal is likely to have this effect on blood pressure due to the soothing action of petting an animal. Cherniack writes, “In few cases, animal-assisted therapy has even been utilized to provide subjective benefit to critically ill patients in intensive care units,” about another study that he wrote about. This proves that it has been shown to have positive impacts on a person’s health despite it not being a medical treatment that is widely recognized. These impacts on mood contribute to the impacts on health and it is done in a safe way that many forms of medication cannot and so therefore it …show more content…
Many studies have been conducted on animal therapy’s effect on many psychiatric diseases including dementia. One specific study concluded that it did show improvement in mental functions but not in physical functions (KAWAMURA and NIIYAMA ). This study proved that it does make a difference in the condition of elderly people who suffer from dementia and any cure should be considered for illnesses that affect memories because of how valuable and irreplaceable they are. Simple metal functions are important to one’s health and often are very hard to control especially once they begin deteriorating and so any form of treatment that helps this in any way is a serious form of therapy. The results of this study showed that “AAT may promote sensory stimulation and social contact, both of which have been shown to alleviate behavioural disturbances in patients with dementia” (KAWAMURA and NIIYAMA ). These small aspects of animal therapy make life for these patients much better, by creating better interactions with other in the homes much more and it makes for an easier transition as they slowly lose their
Animal therapy is a practice whose establishment is given …show more content…
“Being depressed or anxious is linked to catching more infections and experiencing the symptoms more strongly” (Collingwood). By reducing mental stress then a person is able to maintain a stronger immunity system and therefore they will not get as sick. Many studies have shown that animal therapy does reduce blood pressure which is commonly linked to stress and anxiety. A specific study, conducted in Italy, showed that residents who interacted with a cat had much lower blood pressure than the other group that did not have the therapy session (Cherniack). This reduce in blood pressure can help patients become more stress free and it is a health benefit that is important in these elderly patients who have high risks of strokes and heart attacks. The use of an animal is likely to have this effect on blood pressure due to the soothing action of petting an animal. Cherniack writes, “In few cases, animal-assisted therapy has even been utilized to provide subjective benefit to critically ill patients in intensive care units,” about another study that he wrote about. This proves that it has been shown to have positive impacts on a person’s health despite it not being a medical treatment that is widely recognized. These impacts on mood contribute to the impacts on health and it is done in a safe way that many forms of medication cannot and so therefore it …show more content…
Many studies have been conducted on animal therapy’s effect on many psychiatric diseases including dementia. One specific study concluded that it did show improvement in mental functions but not in physical functions (KAWAMURA and NIIYAMA ). This study proved that it does make a difference in the condition of elderly people who suffer from dementia and any cure should be considered for illnesses that affect memories because of how valuable and irreplaceable they are. Simple metal functions are important to one’s health and often are very hard to control especially once they begin deteriorating and so any form of treatment that helps this in any way is a serious form of therapy. The results of this study showed that “AAT may promote sensory stimulation and social contact, both of which have been shown to alleviate behavioural disturbances in patients with dementia” (KAWAMURA and NIIYAMA ). These small aspects of animal therapy make life for these patients much better, by creating better interactions with other in the homes much more and it makes for an easier transition as they slowly lose their