Old-Biscuit wrote:
Great now dogs in hospitals........bad enough they are in grocery stores, retail stores and restaurants.
I'm not talking about real 'service animals'........I mean PETS.
Sorry, well not really........your pets do not belong in the hospital for visitation. Ridiculous.
Open your mind.
This is becoming another tool physicians recognize and use in trying to get people well more quickly. There are documented studies that attest to the benefits.
WebMD article about pet visitation.Excerpt wrote:
Benefits to Patients
Citing extensive research showing that patients feel hope and joy from being near their pets, Gallagher says the benefit to the patient is worth the risks of a pet visit in the hospital. "It takes their mind off their stress and anxiety," she says.
Many studies have shown both physical and psychological good effects of animal-assisted therapy. Reported benefits include lowered blood pressure, less pain, more happiness, and motivation to get better, a review in the American Journal of Critical Care shows. Supporters of pet visitation programs, however, say hospitals need to go beyond long-standing policies of having therapy dogs, because patients prefer to see their own pets.
If you can't rationalize this, then look at it from the "bottom line" aspect. If we can get people out of the hospital quicker with better outcomes, we spend less on medical care.
