Cancer Fighters Thrive is a quarterly print and online magazine bringing readers practical, innovative and inspirational information about cancer treatment and survivorship.
Issue link: http://cancerfightersthrive.epubxp.com/i/197379
SPECIAL FEATURE o one makes friends more effortlessly than a sociable dog. And this particular type of friendship is joyful and genuine: full of love, fun and easy companionship. It is just what you are looking for when you are sad, scared or lonely—likely familiar feelings if you have been diagnosed with cancer. So why not bring these special friends to patients when they most need comfort? This is the goal of Pet Partners (petpartners.org), an organization that sets standards for animal therapy and offers registration for animals and handlers who work together to provide animal-assisted activities (AAA). Pet Partners describes AAA as "casual 'meet and greet' activities that involve pets visiting people." This is different from animal-assisted therapy (AAT), which involves "goaldirected intervention" in which a trained animal is partnered with an expert, such as a physical therapist, to help a patient achieve a specifed goal like throwing a ball for a dog to increase range of motion in an arm. ANIMALS MAKE AN IMPACT At Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA), therapy dogs are making a difference for patients, caregivers and employees. Cynthia Ingram, RN, who runs the animal therapy program at CTCA in Zion, Illinois, explains that the particular goal of AAA at CTCA is to "provide loving kindness to our patients and their family members" while also managing stress. She says that studies have shown that animal-assisted therapy can decrease anxiety and pain and help alleviate depression while also providing welcome companionship and a positive distraction from treatment schedules and worry. According to Ingram, adding a registered therapy dog to the care team has been overwhelmingly positive. She says that everyone who interacts with their therapy dog, Tori, an Australian Labradoodle, seems to have their days brightened by her presence. "It's an honor to see benefts and be involved in people's lives in this way," says Ingram, who is also Tori's handler. Encounters with therapy dogs like Tori can be "very healing," she adds. "It's something patients can talk about other than their illness." For example, she tells of one instance in which a patient who was in terrible pain said that a visit from Tori was the only thing that could make her smile. Elaine Smith, MS, LMFT, a Mind-Body Therapist who cfthrive.com Patients love spending time with Cody. directs the animal therapy program at CTCA in Newnan, Georgia, says that the reception for their therapy dog, Cody, a Portuguese Water Dog, is equally positive: "When you bring Cody into a room, the environment changes. You can feel the stress melt away." Smith explains that visits with Cody seem to make people feel better overall—mind and body. "He creates a sense of personal well-being that can also encourage healing." For patients, she says, feeling better emotionally can affect their immune systems, heart rates and other functions in ways that actually help them become healthier. winter 2013 | cancer fighters thrive 21