Animal Assisted Therapy for Hospice

What is Animal Assisted Therapy for Hospice?

The therapeutic use of pets as companions has gained increasing attention in recent years for a wide variety of patients. What makes animal-assisted therapy unique is that animals, not humans, do the real work. First Choice Hospice of Utah provides animal-assisted therapy and covers a wide range of the following activities:

• Simple visit to a patient to provide company
• Stimulation & muscle-coordination by having a patient pet a dog or throw a ball for a game of fetch
• Therapeutic interaction with the non-communicative patient
• Assist in recall of memories

How does Animal-Assisted Therapy enhance quality of life?

Visiting with animals can help people feel less lonely and less depressed.  These visits provide a welcome change from routine that offers a distraction from pain and infirmity. Stroking a dog, a cat or a bird can reduce a person’s blood pressure. Unlike people, with whom our interactions may be quite complex and unpredictable, animals provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention. Animals make us feel safe and unconditionally accepted.