Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T07:13:18.471Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A therapy beyond

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 November 2016

A. S. Reid
A. S. Reid*
Affiliation:
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland
*
*Address for correspondence: A. S. Reid, Medical Student, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, P.O. Box 290, Rozelle, NSW 2039, Australia. (Email: [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

There is an increasing recognition of the positive impact of trained animals, in particular dogs, in therapeutic settings. For the frail aged with cognitive impairment in high care settings, for children in hospital undergoing painful or prolonged treatments, for individuals suffering mental illness, or coping with physical or cognitive disabilities there is a growing body of experience and evidence of the value of therapy dogs. This paper gives fictitious case examples, based on the author’s experiences in hospitals and nursing homes. These, together with research outcomes of controlled interventions with therapy dogs, illustrate the comforting and calming effect on vulnerable residents and inpatients, and their impact in reducing agitation, aggression, depression and loneliness. The paper calls for further studies of this economical and effective form of therapy.

Keywords

Autismchildren in hospitaldementiapet therapytherapy dogs
Type
Perspective Piece
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , June 2019 , pp. 153 - 155
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

†

The names and clinical details of patients contained in this perspective piece are fictional although based on previous experiences.

References

Berry, A, Borgi, M, Francia, N, Alleva, E, Cirulli, F (2013). Use of assistance and therapy dogs for children with autism spectrum disorders: a critical review of the current evidence. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 19, 73–80.Google Scholar
Majić, T, Gutzmann, H, Heinz, A, Lang, UE, Rapp, MA (2013). Animal-assisted therapy and agitation and depression in nursing home residents with dementia: a matched case–control trial. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 21, 1052–1059.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cherniack, EP, Cherniack, AR (2014). The benefit of pets and animal-assisted therapy to the health of older individuals. Current Gerontology and Geriatrics Research 2014, 1–9, article ID 623203.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rossetti, J, King, C (2010). Use of animal-assisted therapy with psychiatric patients: a literature review. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 48, 44–48.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed