Final+Proposal

Senior Seminar Formal Proposal: Effects of Animal-Assisted Therapy on Parkinson’s Disease    · To create a new life for my dog and change the way my family interacts with him · To teach my grandfather about an alternate healing method, and hopefully aid his improvement in that way · To help my peers complete similar tasks with their pets · To become knowledgeable on Parkinson’s disease · To learn to teach and instruct others in animal-assisted therapy  <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">I will be creating an educational video that walks the owner through the steps of certifying a pet as a therapy animal. It will show all that my dog had to go through as well as what the owner has to go through. I hope that my peers will be able to use this information to complete the process themselves. My final presentation will outline the certification and training process as well as describe the effects on Parkinson’s patients. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">In terms of the pet certification for therapy, I will need a great deal of help. I will be working with my dog’s physical therapist, my parents, and the <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">owner of “Comfort Caring Canines.” This is the first step, which will most likely take three weeks to complete. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">The greatest problem I see myself facing is the time restraint issue. The certification process may be lengthy, and I need to be completed in time to do my hands-on project. The greatest time consumer will be the actual certification process. To register, the trainer needs to be provided with information regarding the follows: annual check-up attested to by your veterinarian within the past year, mandatory rabies vaccine, an initial series of core Distemper, Hepatitis, and Parvovirus Vaccinations, a negative Fecal Exam must have been done within the past year, and a negative Heartworm test must have been done within the past year unless there is no heartworm present in the area or if the dog is on preventative medication. For the actual registration test, dogs must be a minimum of one year old to be tested, the dog must be healthy, and the handler must be of good character. The dog and the handler are tested together. The video will also be a large time consumer, but I will be filming and editing along the way. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;"> The main sources that I will be referring to throughout the project, aside from books and internet sources, are the multiple animal-assisted therapy and Parkinson’s clinics in the area. One of the groups I will be working with is called the Comfort Caring Canines. It is a dedicated group of volunteers who share the love of their canine companions — trained and tested therapy dogs — with others. Another organization that will be critical in obtaining information and finding the patients who will receive the therapy is the National Parkinson Foundation. They have a branch that works out of Chestnut Hill Hospital.
 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Background **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> - <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">How does animal-assisted therapy benefit patients with Parkinson’s disease? Parkinson’s is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that often impairs the patient’s motor skills and speech. It is characterized by muscle rigidity, tremor, and a slowing of physical movement. To slow this process, the patient must remain active. However, it is often dangerous for the patient to perform heavy tasks. They need alternative methods to stay active, without risking further harm to them. I want to research the effects and benefits of animal-assisted therapy on these patients, because it seems like a very beneficial solution. Animal-assisted therapy is designed to improve the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive functioning of the patient, as well as provide educational and motivational effectiveness for participants. Without liveliness or encouragement, such as the energy from the pets, it is incredibly difficult for the patients to stay motivated to continue, since they know there is no turning around.
 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Vision **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> – This project, which is a very personal one, will hopefully make a great impact on my family. After the certification process is over, I will be doing visitation hours throughout the community. If all goes well, these hours will make a great difference in that person’s day or week. Separately, I will be creating an educational video that walks the owner through the steps of certifying a pet as a therapy animal. When I share the videos with others, I hope they will be encouraged to partake in animal-assisted therapy as well.
 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Goals **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">–
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 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Task Analysis **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> –

After completing the program and finishing my research, I will be working on getting permission to do visitation hours in the area. I will work with the Keystone State Hospice, and United Cerebral Palsy Center. Following the volunteer hours, I want to share my knowledge. I hope to do this through instruction. I want to encourage and teach others to have their pets certified and help them to train their animals. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Mentor: Andrew Ball (my father) <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">My dad will be helping me with the certification processes. Aside from that, he is checking up on my due dates and helping my stay on task. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Topic Expert: Robert Turino (President of Comfort Caring Canines) <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Mr. Turino will be helping me with the paperwork and the legality of the certification and registration process. I will be contacting him via email and phone. His organization is made up of a group of volunteers like me who want to train and test their pets as therapy dogs. He focuses on using the pets in the same way that I want to, in order to aid my grandfather. He believes that they can stimulate a withdrawn patient, provide a welcome change from daily routine, help to relieve loneliness and depression, facilitate conversation and interaction, lower a patient’s blood pressure and heart rate, stimulate minds, lift spirits, and spark memories. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">
 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Mentor and Topic Expert Analysis **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">–
 * <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;">Conclusion **<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0.2pt;"> – I have watched my grandfather quickly degenerate as well as seen my dog slowly decline in mobility. There is no cure for either ailments, so, instead, I simply need to better their lives. <span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Our family must work to keep them as happy and healthy as we can to give them the longest life possible. This is not going to be easy. I will need to show great commitment and dedication, as well as prioritization.