"His ears are so soft!" Animal-assisted interventions in oncology settings: Implications for oncology social work practice
Clinical Practice; Ear; Oncology; Skill; Social Work Practice; 50-56-6 (oxytocin); 51-61-6 (dopamine); 62-31-7 (dopamine); 54577-94-5 (oxytocin); 60118-07-2 (endorphin); Adult; Animal Experiment; Animal Model; Anxiety; Blood Pressure; Cancer Patient; Cancer Therapy; Cerebrovascular Accident; Distress Syndrome; Dog; Dopamine; Endogenous Compound; Endorphin; Family Study; Female; Gene Expression; Happiness; Heart Rate; Hospice; Hospital Patient; Human; Human Versus Animal Comparison; Infusion; Male; Narrative; Nonhuman; Oxytocin; Pain; Palliative Therapy; Pet Therapy; Program Development; Recreation; Social Support; Storytelling; Symptom; Total Quality Management; Trust; Volunteer; Waiting Room
Content: The use of recreational, expressive, and integrative methods of providing supportive care to patients and families coping with cancer is growing in cancer treatment settings. One such method is animal-assisted interventions (AAI). From the clinic to the infusion suite, to the palliative care office, and to the inpatient hospice, the presence of therapy animals provides an another layer of therapeutic intervention to assist in coping with cancer. AAI can provide cancer patients with an opportunity for emotional support, diversion, recreation, sensory integration/tactile benefit, social support, companionship, and relief of distress and symptoms including pain, depression, anxiety, and isolation. Research also suggests that the simple act of petting a dog can lower heart rate and blood pressure (Friedman, 2015), as well as increase levels of oxytocin, dopamine, and endorphins (Uyemura, 2013). Oxytocin influences happiness and trust in individuals. "Oxytocin has some powerful effects for us in the body's ability to be in a state of readiness to heal.so it predisposes us to an environment in our bodies where we can be healthier" (http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2012/03/09/146583986/ pet-therapy-how-animals-and-humans-heal-each-other). In addition, the therapy animal serves as a vehicle of communication, narrative, and storytelling. Imagine a patient sitting anxiously in the waiting room. He or she strokes the therapy dog gently and is taken to another time and place without cancer. He or she reflects on his or her own dog's roles in his or her life, how he or she rescued the dog, plays with the dog, sleeps with the dog. He or she is distracted, relaxed, and utilizing his or her own story to invoke feelings of happiness, normalcy, and hope. This presentation will examine the history, function, and roles of animal-assisted therapy and activities in various settings. The benefits of AAI with cancer patients (both adults and children) as well as with oncology professionals will also be presented. AAI as a method of integrative supportive oncology therapy will be addressed. The benefits of AAI as well as barriers and limitations for these programs in oncology settings will be reviewed. We will explore AAI program development and evaluation through presentation of results from quality improvement surveys completed by program participants. Suggestions for program development, volunteer recruitment and retention, and therapy dog support will also be discussed. Case presentations of AAI in action from various oncology settings will be a highlight of this presentation.
Bach C
Journal Of Psychosocial Oncology
2016
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2016.1147913" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer">10.1080/07347332.2016.1147913</a>
Promoting adaptive behaviors by two girls with Rett syndrome through a microswitch-based program
Assistive technology; Indices of happiness; Locomotor behavior; Microswitches; Rett syndrome; adaptive behavior; adolescent; article; case report; child behavior; female; hand washing; happiness; human; locomotion; priority journal; school child; stereotypy; tone and motor problems; Rett syndrome; physical intervention; Wobble microswitch; optic sensors; stereotyped movements
We assessed a microswitch-based program to improve self-determination to access to preferred stimuli and to foster locomotor behavior by two girls with Rett syndrome and multiple disabilities. To enhance the first behavior (access to preferred stimuli) a wobble microswitch (sensitive touch sensor) was used while for the second behavior (step responses) optic sensors were applied. A second aim of the study was to monitor indices of happiness as consequence of the use of assistive technology. Finally, a third objective of the study was the reduction of hand washing and body rocking related stereotypies. The study was carried out according to a multiple probe design across behaviors for both participants, where the two behaviors were first learned independently, then combined together. Results showed an increasing of performance and of indices of happiness and a decreasing of stereotyped behaviors for both participants during intervention phases. Practical, psychological and clinical implications of the findings are discussed. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Stasolla F; Caffo A O
Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
2013
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
<a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.07.010" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10.1016/j.rasd.2013.07.010</a>