Assisted therapy and health improving techniques

Abstract

The subject of my research and work is hormones in humans and dogs, their interaction and influence on cooperation with disabled people, health and healing processes; also the effectiveness of methodology. I would like to emphasise the importance of our foreign guests, because their achievements and experience are our gateway and our path. What already happened in Italy or France ten years ago in the field of canitherapy is now happening in Lithuania. Despite the fact that we are late, we are moving in the same direction. It is very important to understand the topic of educating the public, including medical professionals and politicians, on the benefits of therapy dogs. Because when we came to legalising dog beaches in Lithuania, it was explained that it should not be allowed because the animals are dirty. So we took the example of Italy, we published the studies that had been carried out, and we did not repeat the mistakes of the past and opened up dog beaches. When we started the procedure to implement canitherapy, we needed to convince the public that a dog can be in hospital. We gave examples and published articles referring to the experience of Dr Sonia Carla Ricciu in Italy, where dogs were allowed to visit patients; we explained why this was important and that it could happen in Lithuania. Using good examples, we convinced the public that this is the way to go. We recently visited a school with a Doberman who passed the Canitherapy test, in which there was group of children with special needs. The dog was very attentive and active, able to activate children with various forms of disabilities, showing them attention and care, inviting them to cooperate and engage them in joint games. In this work, it is important to teach the children how to interact with the dog in the right way, which improves mutual understanding and prolongs the therapy session. For two summers we worked with large groups of the Lithuanian Society for the Disabled from different cities. It was a sports camp where we worked to motivate disabled people to communicate, to move and thus to get healthy. The main task was to forgen problems, socialise and play sports. A particularly touching moment was when a girl with Down’s syndrome and a panic fear of people came to the session. The dog took the food from her hand, licked it, so the girl got very excited, there was a big positive breakthrough, there were a lot of good emotions. The fact that we are invited to different teams, to medical professionals, shows that the experience and methodology that we are adopting from our foreign partners is correct and extremely important. Personal observations show that the dog communicates very well with children with disabilities, and is able to find additional communication channels other than verbal ones. Calm children, calm dog – targeted communication. This opens up new horizons for therapy. The handlers have to program a good mood when they go to the children so that the dog does not smell stress. We need to be positive, so that the good hormones that affect the dog’s wellbeing and performance are also at work, and this has a decisive influence on the recovery session. Because if the handler feels stressed, the cortisol level synchronises with the dog’s, and the healing session can fail.