Friday, 12 September 2014

Animal Assisted Therapy

There is one particular type of therapy that majority of the population forgets about.  This  type of therapy is pet therapy.  Pets have the ability to make the human race feel a sense of happiness  that they may not be able to find anywhere else.


If you grew up with pets of your own you may know exactly what we are talking about.  Associating humans with pets can increase the chemical chain of reactions to their brains. 
Assisted living often allow pets to be brought into their facility for occasional pet therapy.  The residents and staff may appear to love this, however it is doing much deeper therapy for each individual. 
According to research, if humans have approximately fifteen minutes of association with a pet then the signals that are sent to their brains with ignite the feel-good hormone.  This hormone is commonly referred to as serotonin.

When the production of this hormone is increases then the body’s internal functions are altered.  This means that the individuals who are interacting with the pet will experience lower heart rates, a stress relief and their blood pressure levels will decrease. 

There are also long term effects that can have a major impact on the health of the individuals.  The humans will show a lasting effect of a lower cholesterol level as well as making their overall mood happy.
 In return, if you are in a positively happy mood then this lowers your chances of becoming depressed or suffering from anxiety.  When a body is experiencing depression, anxiety, or stress your body can become more prone to heart complications or strokes. 

If humans suffering from any of these disorders receives regular pet therapy their chances will likely decrease over time.  In the long run it could prevent them from any further disorders happening in the future. 

Assisted living facilities will allow pet therapy for these various reasons.  Just like any other public facility, the pets that are brought in for the therapy sessions are required to be up to date on shots and well behaved animals.

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