Intro to Animal Assisted Therapy KPETS Keystone Pet Enhanced Therapy Services AAT vs AAA Both AAA and AAT Animals and handlers are screened and trained AAA Animal Assisted Activities Animals and handlers offer activities that may be therapeutic but definite goals are not set or documented AAT Animal Assisted Therapy Goals are set and progress is measured by credentialed therapist in their field Utilization of animals is specific to motivate to achieve the predetermined goals AAT Applications Healthcare Professions Mental Health Occupational Therapy Nursing Speech and Language Therapy Physical Therapy Education Stress Management AAT Not a separate field or practice Animal is tool the therapist incorporates into his/her treatment plan Four unit team Both JCAHO and CARF support the incorporation of AAT into a patient treatment plan Physical Goals Increase use of affected areas Pet Brush Hold leash while walking Dangle toy for animal Position animal to encourage use of affected extremity Increase Coordination Manipulate dog through obstacle course Put on animals harness, gentle leader
Physical Goals Cross midline Place animal to encourage reach across to groom or pet If walking, have person hand leash to someone else Increase fine motor skills Buckle collar or snap leash Give treats Grap Brush/leash Stroke animals ears Throw stick/ball to retrieve Physical Goals Increase Strength Walk dog Throw toys Hold Toy while dog plays Sit on floor and hold treat, reach up to groom large dog, reach out to hug animal Increase tactile stimulation Different textures of coat, pads of feet, nose Physical Goals Improve body awareness Name animal s body parts Match parts of individual s body to animal s body Improve visual/perceptual skills Choose certain color leash from selection Improve visual/motor hand/eye coordination Throw dog toy at target for dog to retrieve Groom animal Shake dog s paw Place treat in designated area Increase Interaction Have person introduce self and animal to someone else Reminisce about favorite animal stories Ask questions about animal Ask person if she/he has/had any animals and ask follow-up questions Engage in cooperative play with animal Encourage eye contact and verbalization Introduce animal or self
After you explain instructions for activity, have person look at you and then repeat instructions to others or yourself Increase self-esteem and self confidence Activities that stimulate feeling of accomplishment or responsibility Grooming Being in charge of animal during session Learning and teaching obedience commands, etc Have person educate others about his/her favorite animal Increase Self-Control Abilityto follow directions with regard to animal care and handling Increase group participation Each tell appropriate story about animal they have known Animals can be part of teams too groups responsibility for safety of animal Sit in circle with animal in center Group is responsible to keep animal safe Brighten affect and mood Address grieving/loss issues Improve reality orientation Improve ability to express feelings Improve cooperation Increase feelings of self-worth Learn about appropriate touch Speech and Language Goals Initiate Speech Ask questions about animal, their own pet, favorite animal, etc Reminisce about past animals Have person make introductions of self and animal Encourage use of questions Model appropriate animal-related questions is What would you need to do to complete this task? For feeding, bathing, grooming, etc Teach person commands the animal knows Speech and Language Goals
Improve Descriptive Skills Discuss color, texture, length of coat Compare/contrast size of various animals/equipment Have person imitate movements, sounds, and habits of animal Talk about different foods/treats and why animal might find them enjoyable to eat Cognitive Goals Increase ability to organize Have person create obstacle course Have person create grooming, training, exercise schedule Attention to task Person to be in charge of animal during session Grooming Cognitive Goals Problem Solving Have person or group create exercise area or training area for session Create an obstacle course or maze for animal Forecast what would happen if Decide if animal needs a break/rest Learn gentle ways to handle animal Have person develop care plan for animal Cognitive Goals Increase short/long-term memory Ask if person has seen the animal before Ask person the animal s name Have person introduce animal to others in group or facility Ask person the type of animal/breed Ask person fact about animal AAT in Education Improve self esteem Increase motivation Spark learning and caring Lower stress
Benefits of AAT in Education Provide unconditional love and acceptance Non-judgmental ear for listing: Delta Society Healthful benefits of touch (Ducan, 1995) Wrzochalski (1995) way to introduce new concepts providing added interest and improve comprehension and retention Examples of AAT in Education Read and Share Explore animal/human bond articles Share knowledge with retired person Dog Detectives/Mysteries and Mutts Students help detective solve mystery Clues given from interdisciplinary detective team (i.e. Dr Beaker, Science; Dr Decimal, Math; Dr Yesterday, History; etc) KPETS Missions KPETS is an non-profit organization established to promote Animal Assisted Therapy/Animal Assisted Activities (AAT/AAA) by recruiting, educating, uniting and coordinating volunteers with the facilities, social agencies and special-needs programs whose clients may benefit from the healing and rehabilitating effects of the animal/human bond. The unconditional love of our pets is shared with those of all ages and from all walks of life. Promoting AAT/AAA will also encourage responsible pet ownership, which benefits the welfare of animals as well as the community. For additional information contact Karen Gerth 717.333.kpet (5738) www.kpets.org info@kpets.org Hi Everyone- I'm an Occupational Therapist in Wisconsin and started an AAT program using dogs with adult physical rehab and adult brain injury rehab. I'm looking for creative ways to incorporate AAT into this population. We do a lot of walking, petting, fetch, tug and so to
work on gait, balance, coordination, cognition, language goals etc. I've even had used "bowling" with the dogs. (artificial pins of course. The patient takes their turn by rolling the ball to knock down pins. Pins are reset and the patient throws a treat into the pins for the dog. The dog "scores" how ever many pins they knock down in retrieving the treat. Its a blast!) Wondering about other activity ideas people might have that could be used or modified for use with these populations. Any and all ideas welcome! Thanks! Laura I love the bowling idea! I have used dressing dogs in costume and training dogs in my PT/OT AAT work. I have also trained my dogs to play a "shell" game. Hide a piece of food under one of three cups, mix it up while they watch, and let them identify the cup with the food under it. This could help with memory if they take turns doing it with the dog. Of course, you would want to be sure that the dog doesn't win too much! http://www.akc.org/love/dah/kidskorn/fall02/akcfall2002/home.html