Essay - Animal Therapy for Depression Animal Therapy with Elderly Patients for...

Animal therapy for depression

Animal ***** with elderly patients

***** many ***** citizens, the problems of aging can be compounded by depression -- an illness that affects the body as well ***** ***** mind. A major ***** affects people's ability to work, study, sleep, eat *****d enjoy activities that they once found pleasurable. Symptoms include persistent feelings of sadness and anxiety, which can compound other physical illnesses as well.

As an alternative to pharmacological therapy, more physicians ***** counselors are turning to animal-assisted or pet therapy to help elderly adults cope with the effects ***** depression. This paper reviews the current literature regarding the use of animal-assisted to ***** elderly people deal ***** *****.

Many ***** ***** books regarding pet therapy focus on individual stories. In Pack of Two: The *****tricate Bond Between People and Dogs, author Caroline Knapp (1998) interviews dog psychiatrists, trainers and dog owners to discern the "mysterious" and "unknowable" link between humans ***** *****s. Among ***** s*****ries Knapp includes are an excerpt about *****-assisted therapy in a nursing home, where residents ***** regularly visited by dogs and cats. While interesting, much ***** the evidence that this book cites is merely anecdotal and need to be backed by research.

Thus, while the book is an ***** read, it is not a scholarly resource.

While much anecdotal evidence ex*****ts regarding animal-assisted therapy, there are few scientific studies documenting pets ***** the *****. One of the earliest studies is entitled "Intimacy, Domesticity and Pet Therapy with the Elderly: Expectation and Experience Among Nursing Home Volunteers," written by Joel Savishinsky (1992). In this study, the author interviewed community workers and college students who volunteered in three nursing homes in upstate New York. The volunteers in these programs were among the pioneers ***** bringing companion animals ***** geriatric institutions. Savishinsky found that both ***** institutional residents ***** the volunteers themselves derived great satisfaction from the experience.

***** the article "Pet therapy research: A historical review," Shirley Hooker et al (2002) trace the history of pet ***** back further, ***** to pastoral England. This ***** looks back over the 40-year ***** of pet therapy in nursing *****. In addition to detailing the history of pet therapy in ***** homes, this article reflects the evolution of nursing in general -- from assisting physicians to modern ***** care.

The authors note that despite initial misgivings about bringing animals into nursing homes, much of the animal-assisted programs have proven positive for ***** home residents, particularly for those who had been withdrawn and uncommunicative.

This historical survey ***** companion animals is backed by numerous current studies in the use of animal-assisted therapy, ***** among elderly nursing ***** residents.

***** the article "Research and Reflection: *****nimal-Assisted ***** in Mental Health Settings," Debra Phillips Parshall (2003) examines both scientific studies and anecdotal evidence regarding companion *****. The author includes a story reg*****rding her grandfa*****r, who ***** sound mental faculties but was *****ly incapable of taking ***** ***** himself. Parshall notes that after regular visits ***** an Airedale terrier,