Instead on the monthly meeting,
Denver Pet Partners is planning several mini-workshops for June 7th. Each one will focus on a particular area of service for therapy pet teams.
One session will be about
special needs, such as autism.
Another will be about
speech, physical and occupational therapy.
A third workshop is for
literacy.
The fourth is for
acute and long term care.
I'll bet you didn't know animals could be so useful in the medical field! Sometimes, it's incredible what they can help professionals accomplish.
There are two types of therapy dog work:
AAA and
AAT. Jewel and I have been involved in the first, which is
Animal Assisted Activities. In short, what we do are simple visits which lead to improving a person's quality of life. Teams which work in
Animal Assisted Therapy are more specifically goal-oriented, and require a health professional's direct involvement. Whether they do AAA or AAT, all the animals are pets of the human team member.
Here is information I found at the DPP Web site about the two pet therapy methods:
Animal-assisted activities (AAA) provide opportunities for motivational, educational and/or recreational benefits to enhance a person's quality of life. AAA are delivered by a professional, para-professional or volunteer who demonstrates knowledge about animals and the human populations with which they interact. As an example of AAA - an individual brings their dog to a long-term care facility to visit the residents. Although the staff is involved in the visits, no treatment goals have been set for the visit. Aside from signing in and out, no records are kept.
Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal is incorporated as an integral part of the clinical healthcare treatment process. AAT is delivered or directed by a professional health or human service provider who demonstrates skill and expertise regarding the clinical applications of human-animal interactions.
Jewel and I are going to attend the mini-workshop on
literacy. We'll learn more about it from teams who are working in this area. They're going to pass on some tricks of the trade. I hope to come away from this with more information about the specifics involved. I'd also like to learn about the schools, libraries and other places on my side of town that need a few more literacy teams. I did a visit without Jewel several months ago. I think we are suited for it, but I haven't taken the step to commit yet. Here's a link to information about literacy dogs:
R.E.A.D.
I might make a bumper sticker that says, "If you can read this, thank a literacy dog." Or not.