Survey
Says: “100% Would Recommend Dog Therapy” Not many will
dispute that animals can have a positive effect on emotional well-being. Many also believe that animals can be a
positive force in physical health and healing as well. This is something our
members and their working therapy dogs know and believe to be true. The magical interaction between dog and
human is unmistakable-tears dry, frowns becomes smiles, silence becomes
laughter, hands caress fur. Dogs have a calming
and therapeutic effect. They help people cope with the emotional issues related
to illness. They also offer physical contact with another living creature,
something that is often missing in the lives of residents and patients in
nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. They might invoke pleasant
memories of past pets. Best of all, they divert a person's attention from the
pressing problems of the day. Further,
our dogs can: ·
Bring joy and laughter to everyday life · Give
people something to do, talk, and think about other than the illness ·
Provide a source of touch and affiliation ·
Heightened self confidence, esteem and sense of achievement ·
Encourage communication ·
Break the ice ·
Boost overall morale ·
Stimulate exercise and activity ·
Help people cope with illness, loss, depression ·
Lower stress levels No, we don’t have
to convince the more than 120 Therapy Dog of Vermont members that dogs possess
the profound ability to touch people often not engaged by other kinds of
therapies. Survey Supports
the Benefits of Dog Therapy While the magical
interaction between canine and human is difficult to quantify by statistics and
empirical facts, we CAN research the effects of dog therapy by simply asking
those most qualified to offer us insight-patients, family and friends of those
patients, and the health care staff. A recent survey
conducted by the University of Vermont with student, Holly Grant, bore out what we
already believe to be true. The survey,
conducted in the Fall of 1999, was administered to various hospitals and
nursing homes throughout the state of Vermont, including Central Hospital of
Vermont, Pillsbury Manor Retirement Home, Fletcher Allen Hospital, Fanny Allen
Hospital, and Porter Nursing Home.
While this is only a sampling of the many, many organizations and
institutions visited by Vermont’s Therapy Dogs, it provides good data to
support the work we do. The data comes
from 74% of the patents or residents on each ward visited-and all of the 74%
experienced dog therapy. The remaining
26% was made of people not visited because they were resting, unable to receive
visits for medical reasons, or were simply not interested in a therapy dog
visit. In other words, participants
were surveyed after a therapy dog visit and all participants thus had
experienced dog therapy. In order to
provide a more rounded picture of the impact of dog therapy, data was also
collected from the friends and family of patients as well as hospital and
nursing home staff members. Patients
themselves, hospital and nursing home staff, friends and family members were
asked to rate the moods of patients and residents during a therapy dog visit on
a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest).
The results: Happy 4.79 Relaxed 4.50 Calm 4.35 Lowered
Stress/Anxiety Level 4.45 Increased
Cooperation 4.05 Created More
Positive Attitude 4.73 Reduced
Stress/Anxiety of Staff 4.62 Reduced
Stress/Anxiety of Friends/Family 4.69 As you can see by
the numbers, positive moods were indicated as being high on the scale,
reinforcing that dog therapy does affect mood and feelings positively - which
in turn benefits the healing process. Most importantly
and most striking, when people were asked if they would like to see the therapy
dog program continued, 81% said they would like to experience dog therapy more
often. And, a remarkable
100% of those interviewed said they would recommend dog therapy to other
hospitals and nursing homes. Moreover, survey
participants were asked to indicate how long the effects of dog therapy last
after the visit is over. The answered: Visit lasts…
HOURS 50% DAYS 20% Minutes 16% Permanently 12% Does not last 2% Comments from
people who participated in the survey: ·
Loved it!
Great Dogs. They are very special, and
the owners too! ·
I have seen a
patient go from depressed to animated.
Very positive program. ·
The most
foolproof, beneficial treatment I see for 99% of patients. ·
We have
appreciated the therapy dogs for many years, thanks! ·
I strongly
believe in animal therapy and its effects on patients and everyone who comes in
contact with a therapy animal. More
programs should be available to hospitals and nursing homes. Every effort should be mare to create more
positions for therapy animals. ·
The dogs art
great. We all look forward to Thursday
night and their visit. ·
We are very
blessed to have a therapy dog visiting-the one we see seems to be very
sensitive to patient’s (and staff’s) moods and needs. She sis never imposing but makes her sweet presence known. We love her! ·
I am not here
when the therapy dogs are visiting, however, I hear from residents, as well as
families, how much they enjoy the visits. ·
Everyone just
loves the dogs and hope they will continue to come. ·
Compares with
medicine! ·
Today was my
fist visit from the dogs; I wish they would come every evening. It’s nice to see “different” faces. ·
Wonderful
program-we love the dogs! ·
The dogs make
everyone happy! ·
Thank you for
letting me enjoy the benefits of this wonderful program. God bless your volunteers. ·
They are all
very good! The Magical
Interaction Between Canines and Humans