Animal-assisted Therapy

What is Animal-Assisted Therapy?

Animal-assisted therapy is an innovative therapy that uses animals as a motivating factor to improve treatment. This form of therapy is implemented with other existing types of neurorehabilitation.  

 

There are two approaches of animal-assisted therapy:

  • Direct Approach: The animal is actively involved in the rehabilitation  sessions.
  • Indirect Approach: The animal is not actively involved in the session and is merely present in the room with the patient.


Why is Animal-Assisted Therapy Beneficial?

  • Research has shown that therapeutic animals can induce positive emotions among humans. This is beneficial as therapy outcomes are improved when patients have positive emotions. 
  • Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to provide companionship and emotional support as well as decrease anxiety among patients, thereby improving rehabilitation outcomes. 
  • Animal-assisted therapy induces higher motivation among concussion patients. Due to this, patients are more motivated and engaged during their rehabilitation sessions. This motivation can also be beneficial for daily activities. For instance, many patients will struggle with daily activities, such as cooking or getting dressed. However, research has shown that patients are highly motivated to care for their animals. 

 

Due to the above-mentioned factors, many researchers have concluded that many patients are able to achieve goals with animal-assisted therapy that would not be possible with conventional rehabilitation.

 

Animal-assisted therapy can be used to improve specific skills among patients. Below are a few skills that can be improved through this innovative form of therapy.  

 

Improved Social Competence 

Many concussion survivors struggle with impaired social competence. For instance, social communication skills will frequently decline among concussion patients. This struggle is further aggravated by the fact that many patients will reduce social interaction, while simultaneously suffering with depression and impaired emotional expression. 

 

Research has shown that improving social competence among concussion survivors is crucial to reduce the risks of psychiatric morbidity and behavioural disorders. By doing so, the quality of life is also enhanced. Accordingly, animal-assisted therapy is increasingly used to improve social competence among concussion patients. Specifically, animal-assisted therapy can help improve emotional expression as well as non-verbal and verbal communication skills. This has been shown to significantly improve social behaviour and competence among patients.

 

Improved Memory

Learning is a central component for neurorehabilitation among concussion patients. However, patients must memorize the knowledge and skills learnt from their rehabilitation sessions to effectively implement this information during their recovery process. 

 

How does animal-assisted therapy improve memory? 

Studies have shown that memory is enhanced by stimuli that are emotionally relevant to people. In conjunction with this, people can develop strong emotional connections with animals and thus, animals are emotionally significant to humans. Accordingly, animals may act as emotional stimuli that can enhance memory among concussion survivors. 

 

As previously stated, animals can induce positive emotions in people. Research has further found that these positive emotions may improve neuroplasticity, which also concurrently improves learning and memory among concussion patients. As a result, researchers have concluded that animal-assisted therapy may positively influence memory and learning.  

 

Improved Concentration

Concussion survivors also frequently struggle with concentration deficits, such as reduced attention span, divided attention and/or selective attention. This is detrimental as concentration deficits can impact quality of life and daily tasks. For instance, evidence suggests that concentration deficits are correlated with driving accidents and mistakes while cooking. Moreover, many patients who struggle with concentration deficits will simultaneously struggle to manage responsibilities and everyday tasks. Therefore, improving concentration deficits is a pivotal goal during concussion recovery. 

Several studies have found that animal-assisted therapy can improve concentration among concussion survivors. Additionally, patients and therapists generally report that patients are more concentrated and alert during animal-assisted therapy sessions, in comparison to conventional therapy sessions.


Mobility Improvements

There is emerging evidence that demonstrates animal-assisted therapy can improve mobility among concussion survivors. Specifically, walking with a therapy dog can improve balance, posture, gait, and stimulate proper movement.

 

Current Research

Currently, there is limited research on the effects of animal-assisted therapy on long-term memory, mobility, and concentration among concussion patients. Given the potential benefits of animal-assisted therapy, further research must be conducted.

 

Written by Dorothy Dinh

 

References 

Gocheva, V., Hund-Georgiadis, M., & Hediger, K. (2018). Effects of animal-assisted therapy on concentration and attention span in patients with acquired brain injury: A randomized controlled trial. Neuropsychology, 32(1), 54-64. https://doi.org/10.1037/neu0000398

 

Hediger, K., Thommen, S., Wagner, C., Gaab, J., & Hund-Georgiadis, M. (2019). Effects of animal-assisted therapy on social behaviour in patients with acquired brain injury: A randomised controlled trial. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 5831-5831. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42280-0

 

Rodrigo-Claverol, M., Malla-Clua, B., Marquilles-Bonet, C., Sol, J., Jové-Naval, J., Sole-Pujol, M., & Ortega-Bravo, M. (2020). Animal-assisted therapy improves communication and mobility among institutionalized people with cognitive impairment. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5899. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165899

 

Stapleton, M. (2016). Effectiveness of animal assisted therapy after brain injury: A bridge to improved outcomes in CRT. NeuroRehabilitation (Reading, Mass.), 39(1), 135-140. https://doi.org/10.3233/NRE-161345

 

Theis, F., Luck, F., Hund-Georgiadis, M., & Hediger, K. (2020). Influences of animal-assisted therapy on episodic memory in patients with acquired brain injuries. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(22), 8466. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17228466