Communications 1010

Therapy Animals & How they help humans

Public PresentationMartina Nelson

Professor JohnstonS.L.C.C.

Spring Semester, 2013

Intermountain Therapy Dogs

WHAT IS A THERAPY ANIMAL?

A therapy animal is part of a volunteer Team: he and his human/owner work together.

They visit hospitals, nursing homes, schools, & traumatic event scenes (Connecticut school shooting).

TYPES OF THERAPY ANIMALS

Most therapy animals are dogs

But some are:

• Horses• Cats• Birds• Dolphins

Kathy with Billy Biddle, ITA therapy horse

WHAT MAKES A PET OWNER A GOOD THERAPY TEAM CANDIDATE?

My Credentials:Therapy: Animal Assisted Activity CertifiedObedience: Dog obedience titlesDog show ring: Dog Obedience Judge’s StewardEmpathy/Good judgment in sensitive situations

WHAT MAKES A DOG A GOOD THERAPY DOG CANDIDATE?

My Credentials:Animal Assisted Activity CertifiedDog obedience titlesDog Obedience Judge’s Steward

Dog’s Credentials:Calm temperament

Excellent health & energyObedience trained

Good cleanliness/grooming

WHAT MAKES A TEAM SAFE?

Insurance!

“ITA has never had a single claim, due to our intense

screening and training efforts.”

Kathy Klotz, ITA

Animal Assisted Therapy: intricately involved in PT situations

Animal Assisted Activity: more casual visitation with no PT regimen

TWO MAIN TYPES OF THERAPY ANIMALS

WHO DO THERAPY ANIMALS HELP?

• Patients

• Nursing staff

• Families of patients

WHO DO THERAPY ANIMALS HELP?

Kids with reading disabilities: R.E.A.D.(Reading Education Assistance Dogs)

• Gives a sense of normalcy to an otherwise unfamiliar place

• Quicker recovery time, pain management, more enthusiastic Physical Therapy participation (Marcus study on Pain Management)

BENEFITS OF THERAPY ANIMALS

For patients with psychotic disorders, those who participated in AAT had twice the reduction in anxiety scores as those who

participated in some other form of recreational activity.

(Barker study, 1998)

ANIMAL ASSISTED THERAPY WORKS

ITA is a non-profit organization that trains, certifies, and insures volunteer animal therapy teams in the intermountain Western United States.

WHAT IS INTERMOUNTAIN THERAPY ANIMALS?

For more information, go to: www. therapyanimals.orgOr Google: Intermountain Therapy Animals

RESOURCES

INTERMOUNTAIN THERAPY ANIMALS:PETS HELPING PEOPLE

Barker & Dawson 1998, pp. 797–801. Psychotic patients show twice the improvement with AAT vs. other recreational activities.

Klotz, Kathy, Executive Director Intermountain Therapy Animals. Personal Interview, May 02, 2013, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Marcus, Dawn; Berstein. C., Constantin. J.M., Kunkel F.A., Breuer P., & Hanlon R., (2012). "Animal-assisted therapy at an Outpatient Pain management clinic". Pain Medicine 13 (1): 45–57

CITATIONS

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME!