Paws and Patients: Therapy Animals Contribute to Comfort and Healing at MUSC Health
Furry caregivers contribute to the health care experience by reducing anxiety, boosting spirits, and even improving medical outcomes.
// By Susan Dubuque //
More than 2,500 years ago, the ancient Greeks saw the value of animals in healing. Fast-forward to the 1960s when Boris Levinson, a child psychologist, noticed that his dog helped break communication barriers with his young patients. Today, it is common for hospitals, nursing homes, and rehabilitation centers to incorporate animal-assisted interventions, commonly known as pet or animal therapy, into patient care.
Eight years ago, Cathy Bennett took the reins — or should we say, the leash? — as coordinator of the therapy animal program at MUSC Health. Back then, there were fewer than 30 dogs, and activities were limited to bedside visits.
Cathy Bennett, Therapy Animal Program Coordinator, MUSC Health
“I knew we could do so much more,” she says. Since then, the program has expanded in both size and scope, now serving four hospitals and a dozen ambulatory clinics and conducting a variety of research studies on the impact of therapy dogs in medicine.
Read the rest of the article to learn more about how therapy animals can enrich the health care experience and improve outcomes.