Feeling better thanks to animals? Lets focus on zootherapy!
Pet therapy has become a structured therapeutic method used by health care personnel to help patients. In the 1950s, an American psychiatrist, Boris Levinson, standardized zootherapy by introducing either a cat or a trained dog during his sessions. He found that the human-animal bond was a natural phenomenon with many cognitive, psychological, and social benefits.
Zootherapy is complementary to conventional medicine and organized in one-hour sessions. It is practiced in hospitals, offices or retirement homes. The therapist supervises and analyzes the patients' progress.
Benefits have been particularly noticed with elderly people in nursing homes aswell as autistic patients. In addition, pet therapy helps to reduce blood pressure and thus improves overall cardiovascular health. Anxiety improves and feelings of loneliness are lowered. Taking care of an animal, such as feeding, petting or taking it for a walk, enhances the patient's self-esteem and stimulates his or her mobility. Several studies have proven that patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease have their cognitive abilities stimulated by animals. They remember their own pets and interact more easily.
Dogs are the most suitable candidates for being trained as therapy companions: sensitive to human emotional states, they willingly help people in distress. However, cats are not to be outdone. According to the French veterinarian Jean-Yves Gauchet, the cat's purr improves serotonin production, which has a positive effect on mood. Contraindications are rare, except of course if the patient is not receptive to this therapeutic support.
So, are you convinced by pet therapy?