Using pets to work with memory impaired individuals can be a helpful alternative to conventional therapy nursing facilities day care centers hospitals and private homes…

Try: Using pets to work with memory impaired individuals can be a helpful alternative to conventional therapy nursing facilities day care centers hospitals and private homes are beginning to use pets for therapy with older individuals interacting with a pet has been correlated with lower blood pressure lower blood triglyceride levels increased activity and increased socialization pet therapy seems to be especially effective with individuals that have alzheimer’s disease studies have shown that regular contact with a pet can help decrease anxiety and increase feelings of calm and well being even during the difficult evening hours pets can also enhance the care recipient recipient’s connection to his or her world even people with very advanced dementia will sometimes respond to the comforting presence of an animal pet visits allow a Care recipient (cr) with dementia a chance to play and express his or herself creatively pets can even become a valuable part of a therapy program for example a cr who might not want to practice walking for therapy because it feels too much like work might welcome taking a dog for a walk because that seems more like play not every animal is appropriate for pet therapy work the ideal therapy pet is calm and gentle with no aggressive tendencies this is especially important for therapy pets who work with crs with dementia very anxious or loud animals do not make good therapy companions because they may increase the cr cr’s anxiety rather than reduce it information references

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Categories: Emotional Psychological, Medical Physical, Social

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Keywords: Therapy social interaction

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed

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