Pets: How They Can Help Seniors And Special Needs Kids
Just petting or holding an animal can do wonders for the homebound and the elderly, children with developmental disabilities, and people dealing with anxiety or trauma.
Interaction with a pet is mentally stimulating for older adults living in a care facility. Susan Moran, in her article ‘Benefits of Pet Therapy,’ noted that pets reduce loneliness and have a calming presence that can help people with anxiety feel more relaxed and at ease in any setting.
Giving treats or petting them helps improve motor skills in seniors and children, while walking a pet engages the larger muscles in the torso, arms, and legs to strengthen and improve coordination.
Children with autism who play with therapy dogs show more signs of interaction, communication, and attention.
Hospitalized children will often “confide” in a therapy pet, revealing sad or scary thoughts, or pain and other medical symptoms, this lessens their fears and gives their caregivers better insight into how they are really feeling. In a classroom or library, non-judgmental pets make the perfect study companion for reading aloud or reviewing schoolwork.
Stepping up to provide that animal connection? Thousands of volunteers are willing to share their calm and loving pets.
Beacon, a 4-year-old Golden Retriever, proudly wore his own “Goodest Boy” USA Gymnastics badge at the US Olympic Team try-outs in Minneapolis. Beacon was one of 19 therapy dogs attending the camp to help calm nerves and reduce stress for the athletes and coaches. Over sixty therapy dogs were on hand for the USA Olympic Swimming trials in Indianapolis last month.
At the University of Pennsylvania, graduate and professional students were invited to stop by and spend a soothing time with the therapy dog in the Grad Center common room during the Graduate Wellness Week.
PAWS for People, one of the largest pet therapy organizations in the Mid-Atlantic region, was founded by a recent retiree, Lynne Robinson and her rescue, Boo Radley, a very affectionate 112-pound golden retriever. Today it sends out 450 volunteer pet therapy teams with dogs, cats, and bunnies, visiting over 180 sites serving all of Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Maryland, with 24 different types of training programs.
Kate Rosenthal, its Marketing and Events Manager, described what they look for in a therapy pet. “We look for pets who are human-focused, calm, not easily startled, and comfortable with a variety of people,” she explains. “For dogs, we ask that they have a solid foundation in the basic behaviors – sit, stay, down, come-when-called, walk nicely on a loose leash with no pulling, and a ‘leave it,’ where they can walk past a treat or similar temptation on the floor.”
“Cats and bunnies need to be comfortable when passed from person to person and relaxed while being held. All pets need a clean bill of health from their vet with current vaccinations appropriate to their species.”
While PAWS sends dogs, cats and bunnies on visits, other pets have been tapped for therapy visiting. Florida’s Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses, one of the nation’s largest equine therapy programs, sends tiny horses on visits to thousands of adults and children each year inside hospitals, hospice programs, and with families, veterans and first responders who have experienced traumatic events. Mtn Peaks Therapy Llamas & Alpacas sends friendly llamas and alpacas into special-needs schools, rehab and memory care facilities and nursing homes in the Portland, Washington area.
But enough about the pets: what about you? Do you have what it takes? Kate knows what makes a good human volunteer. “Like their pets, PAWS volunteers are people-focused, warm, open, and kind. We look for volunteers who have a strong bond with their pet, know and are responsive to their pets’ cues, and want to share the joy their furry friend brings with others,” she explains. “We ask volunteers to commit to 2 visits per month, though many of our volunteers do more.”
The pets enjoy social interaction, a car trip that doesn’t end at the vet, treats, petting and praise lavished on them. Their two-legged partners are rewarded with smiles and heartfelt gratitude.
At 90 lbs, Buster, a handsome American Staffordshire Terrier mix, lights up and fills the infusion room at the Helen F. Graham Cancer and Research Center when he visits with his human partner, Trish, as part of the PAWS for People program. Not a kisser by nature, one day he showered attention and kisses on one man in particular. Trish was moved when he grabbed her arm to say, “Thank you, I needed that.”
Another PAWS therapy team, Charlotte, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and her partner Kris, were visiting a little girl during a long hospital stay for her complex medical condition. The two had visited ‘Emily’ and her family many times before this one day when Charlotte left the girl’s bedside to climb into her mother’s lap and snuggle in. The mom burst into tears, asking, ‘How did she know?!”
Ready to take the next step? Finding an organization in your area is an online search question away. If you already know of a school or hospital program and want to join them, contact its Volunteer Coordinator and ask who organizes the visits, many local school or healthcare systems operate their own pet therapy programs while others contact with a local agency. The American Kennel Club not only offers tips on preparing your dog for volunteer visiting, it also has a list of regional providers happy to recruit that happy, affectionate and loving dog, cat, bunny, horse or llama.
