Animal Assisted Therapy

Morse and Field observed that the impact of animal-assisted therapy on patients could be described by eight themes: motivation increases with animal interaction; patients benefit physically from animal interventions; reminiscence and alertness are promoted by interactions with animals; AAT enhances emotional well-being; improved social interaction was observed during AAT sessions; AAT presents opportunities for nurturing; patients partake in animal caretaking responsibilities; AAT creates a comfortable, ‘home-like’ environment (as cited in Velde et al., 2005, p. 45-46). Studies have also found significant improvements in anxiety, depression, stress, life-satisfaction, loneliness, socialization, self-esteem, and physical functioning after interventions
Therefore, it is necessary to develop AAT models specifically for use by occupational therapy professionals within an occupational therapy practice in order to differentiate animal-assisted occupational therapy (AAOT) from other AATs and AAIs. Velde et al. (2005) suggest application of the Lifestyle Performance Model of occupational therapy which concentrates on five domains of life: societal contribution, intrinsic gratification, responsive environment, self-care and self-maintenance, and reciprocal relationships (p. 47). To incorporate this model of occupational therapy into therapeutic work with animals, the roles an animal could play in each of the five domains would need to be considered in relation to each patient
This would correspondingly delineate animal-assisted occupational therapy from simply an animal-assisted activity taking place within occupational therapy. According to Witt, in order for animal-assisted therapy to also be occupational therapy, an intervention plan that is specifically OT must be developed, the therapy conducted and its results must be documented, and the therapy professional must posses the education and training necessary for conducting animal-assisted interventions (as cited in Velde et al., 2005, p 46). Occupational-based activities could include pet ownership and pet care. Within the context of the Lifestyle Performance Model, animal interventions relating to each of the five domains of life could include the following: contributing to animal welfare in the domain of societal contribution; activities with the animal that are satisfying to the patient in the domain of intrinsic gratification; creating an environment that is conducive to the presence of and interaction with an animal in the domain of responsive environment; maintaining the physical environment for the animal in the domain of self-care and self-maintenance; animal-related interactions involving sharing objects and/or conversation in the domain of reciprocal relationships (Velde et al., p. 47).
Populations that Can Benefit