Page 430 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

PeT THeRAPY n 397

(Banks & Banks, 2002). Animal-assisted ther- Whether it is because of the bond with
apies distract patients from pain perception a nonjudgmental being or finding a sense of
and often provide comforting thoughts of purpose or a connection to nature, almost P
home (Coakley & Mahoney, 2009). Rather any animal can have a therapeutic impact.
than feeling lonely, the dogs made them feel Using animals other than dogs might be
connected and cared for and provided them more acceptable in certain settings, such as
with a sense of purpose. fish tanks used to improve morale and eating
It is attachment to another being that habits. Research by edwards and Beck (2002)
is associated with greater physical health. has found that the presence of fish in a nurs-
Pets provide companionship and feelings ing home dining room provided a positive
of security and of being loved (Siegel, 1990). influence for Alzheimer’s patients as resi-
Further research has found a decrease in dents sat at the table longer and consumed
anxiety, systolic pulmonary pressure, and more calories, which meant a weight gain
epinephrine and norepinephrine levels of 1.65 pounds and less need for nutritional
(Coakley & Mahoney, 2009) in individuals supplements; patients felt it provided a nice
with pets. distraction during prolonged hospital stay
Alzheimer’s disease provides spe- and felt less anxiety, depression, and hostil-
cific challenges for caregivers that require ity typically seen in patients awaiting a heart
alternative interventions. These challenges transplant.
include agitation, aggression, delusions, hal- Pets in nursing homes encourage an
lucinations, sleep problems, wandering, and increase in the level of social interaction
vocalizations. Agitation affects more than between people. Increase in social and ver-
90% of the residents, which inhibits opti- bal interaction provides a valuable adjunct to
mal health care (Richeson, 2003). This con- other therapy (Geisler, 2004). Residents can
cern continues to escalate as the Alzheimer’s experience themselves as nurturer and care-
Association predicts that by 2050, there will giver rather than the recipient (Geisler, 2004).
be 14 million people affected by Alzheimer’s At the other end of the life span, ani-
disease. mal-assisted interventions have been suc-
For individuals with Alzheimer’s dis- cessful in working with chronically ill
ease, sensory-based techniques have been children. Companion animals have been
used successfully to promote independence, found to provide companionship and tactile
to decrease medications and need for phys- comfort, to decrease stress, and to facilitate
ical restraint, and to improve the quality of social interaction as well as decrease car-
life (McCabe et al., 2002). Settings that are diovascular reactivity to stress. Companion
secure and comforting, featuring a myriad of animals serve as playmate, confidante, and
sensory stimuli, are most effective for these friend who provide unconditional love, a
residents. The success of using companion direct source of social support (Spence &
animals stem from those factors. McCabe Kaiser, 2002). The bond children have with
et al. (2002) posited that when a dog was pre- companion animals has been positively
sent on the unit from morning to evening, related to improved self-esteem, social com-
results showed the resident to be less vio- petence, and socioemotional functioning.
lent, have fewer conflicts, need less medica- Pets as social facilitators based on findings
tion, and have more acceptable behavior as that animals make a person more socially
well as decreased agitation and improved attractive and provide a topic for conversa-
socialization during sundown hours, very tion could be important for chronically ill
similar to the aforementioned study at the children who may feel different and whose
institution where the residents cared for the social life maybe interrupted (Spence &
injured bird. Kaiser, 2002).