Therapies assisted with dogs are a therapeutic modality of relatively recent incorporation that shows very good results in the field of neurorehabilitation.
At a medical level, it generated discrepancies in its beginnings, based mainly on the recreational nature of the sessions and the lack of regulation of this technique. However, in Europe and the United States dog-assisted therapy already has its own regulation and systematization.
Many people sensed that dog-assisted therapy was positive for users with disabilities, despite the lack of regulation, but right now work is being done to find specific results, using the methodology specific to the field of health sciences and translating the results into scientific studies.
In this article we will explain how it works the assisted therapy with dogs offered by the Aspace Catalunya Foundation, which consists of and the proven benefits for people with cerebral palsy and other neurodevelopmental disorders.
Dog-assisted therapy at Aspace
At the Aspace Catalunya Foundation, we have been offering the dog-assisted therapy service for more than 5 years. It is considered as a complementary treatment to neurorehabilitation designed to enhance physical, social, psychological and cognitive aspects by taking advantage of the motivation shown by animals.
Aspace Catalunya collaborates with the Tan Amigos Project. The professionals of both institutions work together to achieve a good participation and encouraging the playful nature of the therapy with the aim of that patients do not feel like they are participating in a simple rehabilitation session.
Therapies assisted with dogs have been carried out in all areas and services of Aspace Catalunya: at theSpecial Education School, as Day Care CentersIn the residence almost Outpatient Care. All users and professionals agree that it is very positive.
For its part, the Tan Amigos Project, works beyond rehabilitation and offers outreach services on dog-assisted interventions, awareness campaigns, dog phobias, legal assistance dogs, adoptions, addiction help, prison work and assisted education.
What is dog-assisted therapy?
According to Animal Assisted Intervention International (AAII), Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is designed to promote improved physical, social and cognitive functioning of the individuals involved, in which a team specially trained in animal control forms an integral part.
The professional who performs assisted therapy with dogs for people with disabilities must have experience and be specialized in this field. It is important to set specific goals for each person by making a documented and evaluated process to draw conclusions and assess what impact the therapy is having on the patient.
Encouraging the interaction of dogs with people with disabilities is the most important point. To achieve this, different activities are carried out that involve users and animals such as games, teaching how to take care of dogs
Benefits of therapy dogs
The natural tendency of some animals to form strong bonds with people using non-verbal communication has proven to be effective for the treatment of neurodevelopmental diseases.
Els benefits that dog-assisted therapy sessions bring to people with disabilities are:
- physicists: The therapy increases motivation and participation of users and affects physical rehabilitation, sensory stimulation, improvement of fine and gross skills, increased mobility, displacement and balance.
- Services: Therapies with dogs work on social skills and behavioral patterns. They enhance interactions with other people and promote connection and communication with their environment.
- psychological: Animal-assisted therapy improves self-esteem and fosters responsibility, competence and competence. In addition, anxiety levels are reduced, to the same level as the feeling of loneliness.
- cognitive: Stimulates language, recent memory and increases and maintains the ability to concentrate and pay attention.
Bibliography
- Friedmann E, Son H. The human-companion animal bond: how humans benefit. Vet Clin North Am Small Anim Pract. 2009;39:293—326.
- Widmar DH, Feuillan KA. Animal-Assisted Therapy. In: Grabois M, Garrison SJ, Hart KA, Lehmkuhl LD, editors. Physical medicine and rehabilitation—the complete approach. Oxford: Blackwell; 2000. p. 733—61.
- Nimer J, Lundahl B. Animal-assisted therapy: a meta-analysis. Anthrozoa. 2007;20:225—38.
- International animal assisted intervention [Internet]. Amsterdam: IAAI; 2013 [updated 28 Dec 2018; cited 12 Nov 2020]. Available in: https://aai-int.org/aai/animal-assisted-intervention/
- Muñoz-Lasa S, Máximo Bocanegra N, Valero Alcaide R, Atín Arratibel MA, Varela Donoso E, Ferriero G. Animal assisted interventions in neurorehabilitation: a review of the most recent literature. neurology 2015 Jan-Feb;30(1):1-7.
