Missy Reynolds OTA 1220 02-05-2014

Reflection Guest Lecture

The event: Intermountain Therapy Animals Date: February 5, 2014 Location: SLCC OTA classroom Name of Presenter: Kathy Koitz Length of presentation: one hour Topic or what was taught: The benefits of using animals in therapy.

. My feelings about what was taught were a little conflicted at first. I have never been a dog person. I would even say Ive always been a little afraid of dogs. When the therapy dogs came in and I learned about what they did, I soon became at ease. They brought a positive feeling into the room. After watching the video Calebs Story I could see how beneficial these animals are. It touched my heart to see how this little boy, who had a TBI from a serious car accident, responded to the dog during his occupational therapy. I didnt have any pre-conceived notions about animal therapy because I didnt know what it was. Ive seen service animals, but service animals are completely different then therapy animals. Therapy animals are volunteers with their owners. They are trained to give attention to anyone that comes into their view. I learned there has been research on the effectiveness of animal therapy. These are some of the results: blood pressure decreases, oxytocin increases (oxytocin is the happy and love hormone.) and just looking at animals gives you a calming and happy feeling. Dogs are motivators for patient compliance. Animals provide laughter, which is sometimes the best medicine! Settings that therapy animals are found are: senior centers, assisted living, rehabilitation units or

centers, camps, wilderness programs, prison inmates, youth detention, and with people with special needs. My attitude after this lecture surprises me. I have a good and positive attitude about animal therapy. I would like to incorporate animal therapy in my practice someday. I can see how much good the animals can do both psychosocially and also physically for the patients/clients/students. Some goals of animal therapy are: motivation to participate and heal, overcome depression, create stimulation, provide comfort, trust and fun! I like how they said that animal therapy has been coined Dog Medicine which is the greatest healer.