Lottery funded ‘Stroke and PAT’ project offers highly innovative, and motivating, therapeutic opportunities for stroke survivors to incorporate PAT dogs into their rehabilitation treatment programme. It is a collaborative venture between the national charity Pets As Therapy, founding Director of Stroke Rehab Dogs, Sallie Bollans, and the Ruth Winston Centre, London N13.
Clockwise from top left: Paula and Izzy; Sue and Arthur; Roma and Scrumpy; Denis and Blue; Sallie, who is also an active member of the Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS), has used PAT dogs in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) to work with stroke patients within the NHS for eight years. Initially inspired by working with PAT dogs Izzy, Arthur, Scrumpy and Blue, Sallie is now keen to develop the initiative to reach stroke survivors within the community. Pets As Therapy have worked closely with her to gain lottery funding, and Sallie has founded Stroke Rehab Dogs to develop the ‘Stroke and PAT’ project. The referral-led service will be based in the Ruth Winston Centre, a community centre in Palmers Green which has been working with the Stroke Association to facilitate a monthly Stroke Advice Clinic.
Sallie said, “I started working with the founding PAT team, Paula and her English Setter/Collie cross, Izzy, ten years ago. During this time I have observed the positive benefits that the presence of a dog can produce within a multi-disciplinary therapy programme in neurological rehabilitation. The impact is so positive that I was inspired to partner with Pets As Therapy to start the Stroke and PAT project. I wanted to provide innovative and motivating therapeutic opportunities for stroke survivors of all ages and backgrounds who have specific rehabilitation goals, and who would benefit from the beneficial effects of working with companion animals. I am thrilled to have finally launched the project.”
Pets As Therapy Chief Executive Lisa Coles said, “We are very excited by the new ‘Stroke & PAT’ initiative. Sallie has been working with PAT dogs for several years to help stroke survivors and it is great to have the opportunity to offer it to a wider audience beyond the hospital environment.”
Research has suggested that introducing a companion animal into the therapy session can result in patients feeling "more at ease, more communicative and motivated to engage in therapy" (Boris Levinson - "pet-facilitated therapy" 1969). Based on the power of the human-animal bond, AAT can be utilised by Occupational Therapists, Speech, and Language Therapists, Physiotherapists and Psychologists to facilitate improvements in the five functional domains of physical, emotional, and psychosocial health, cognitive function and communication skills. It offers patients a unique opportunity to relearn everyday skills without realising the full extent of the effort being exercised, and, due to the non-confrontational nature of the interaction, anxiety levels decrease and the patient can feel encouraged to be creative and spontaneous. AAT also enables stroke patients to express assertiveness and to take control of a situation instead of playing a passive role, by allowing them to be the ‘carer’ of the needs of the dog.
Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) is defined as a "goal-directed intervention where there is a specific therapeutic end in mind, such as improvement of language skills, increased attention span or to increase awareness of sensation and body position where the animal plays a key role in meeting the specific criteria." (Gammonley et al., & The Delta Society 1997).
Pets As Therapy is a national, community-based charity, founded in 1983, providing therapeutic visits to establishments such as hospitals, hospices, special needs schools, nursing and care homes from volunteers with their pet dogs. Today there are over 5,000 active PAT dogs working throughout the UK. Every week visiting PAT teams bring comfort and companionship to 1,000’s of people, both young and old, by giving them the opportunity to interact with one of these calm and friendly pets. Pets As Therapy also work with practitioners to help people overcome dog phobias and have a programme called Read2Dogs, founded in 2010 to help children in classroom settings improve their literacy skills as well as increasing their confidence and enjoyment of reading. Pets As Therapy receives no government funding and relies totally on the generosity of supporters.
For further information please contact:
- Georgia Martin, Marketing and Communications Officer, Pets As Therapy,
- Sallie Bollans, Director, Stroke Rehab Dogs,
www.petsastherapy.org
www.strokerehabdogs.co.uk
www.ruthwinstoncentre.com
