Animals offer physical therapy options
Published 12:00 am Thursday, March 29, 2001
People looking to extend their lives, improve their health and just feel happier should look again at their pets, says Paula Kamrath, human-animal life enrichment consultant.
Thursday, March 29, 2001
People looking to extend their lives, improve their health and just feel happier should look again at their pets, says Paula Kamrath, human-animal life enrichment consultant.
People with pets or companion animals visit the doctor less, report fewer incidents of illness and depression, Kamrath said.
By drawing their owner’s attention outward, pets can calm them and lower blood pressure, or make it easier for them to get over the loss of a spouse, she said.
Beside the affection they give and receive from their pet, the exercise they get from caring for the animal, and the psychological benefits of feeling needed, animals also help introduce their owners to other humans, she said.
&uot;People are often approached more frequently for social interaction when they have a dog,&uot; she said.
Other people smile and make eye contact more often with someone accompanied by a pet than people walking alone, she said.
Health-care facilities can tap into animals’ motivational, recreational and therapeutic benefits, Kamrath told a class of Riverland physical therapy students.
Officials can contact pet owners to volunteer bringing animals in for short visits with patients or residents. They can also develop animal assisted occupational and physical therapy programs.
Playing catch with animals, grooming them, or giving them simple commands can help improve a patient’s visual motor hand-eye coordination, Kamrath said. Children and adults are more easily motivated to do therapy tasks when it involves an animal.
Therapy animals are different than service or guide animals and don’t have the same legal privileges. They don’t need extensive training, but they should be registered with a national organization to make sure they are a good candidate for volunteering.
Registering organizations ensure that the animal has a suitable temperament and behavior, won’t be disturbed by an unfamiliar environment or act irregularly, and is in good health, she said. Animals volunteering in care facilities should be older than six months of age, be clean and well groomed, and in good health.
Horses are the most popular therapy animal, but registering organizations also register a number of other animals for therapeutic use, Kamrath said. Dogs, cats, birds, llamas, pot bellied pigs, horses, goats, sheep, chicken and rabbits can all be registered with some organizations.
For more information on animal therapy or volunteering, contact Paula Kamrath at (612) 626-1975 or at pcoop@qwest.net. To inquire about registering your pet as a therapy animal, contact the Delta Society (425) 226-7357, www.deltasociety.org; Therapy Dog International, Inc. (973) 252-9800, or e-mail at tdi@gti.net; or Therapy Dogs Incorporated (877) 843-7364.