 Pork-Chop the pig (whom we did our best to hide breakfast and lunch from) visited the Long Term Care Unit and put smiles on everyone’s faces, especially the residents. “This is one expressive pig,” the owner stated as we did the rounds. Residents who sometimes are quiet and withdrawn seemed to perk up and become lively as Pork-Chop snorted and asked for snacks.
Just like dogs have been recognized to be able to provide by organizations such as CMS- therapy, pigs can increase attention and awareness, create a sense of connection, and help uplift emotional ebbs and down points.[1] This is a very important therapeutic tool in environments such as this, as the National Institute on Aging reports that older adults have multiple potential risk factors for depression, such as lack of ability to manage self-care, social disconnectedness, and brain changes.[2] Depression also fuels chronic disease, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.[3] This makes it even more valuable, to utilize therapy animals of all kinds to uplift the emotions and positively stimulate the mind. Pork-Chop visits the LTC unit about 1-2 times per month, but it seems that the residents would love to see him more often, even though they can’t fully communicate that desire in many cases. Staff, family, and yours truly are all of the same thought, though- “what a pig!” I look forward to working with Pork-Chop again someday soon! [1]https://www.cms.gov/files/document/ltss-webinar-june-2024-unique-benefits-animal-assisted-therapy-individuals-long-term-care.pdf [2] https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/mental-and-emotional-health/depression-and-older-adults [3] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/chronic-illness-mental-health Comments are closed.
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