What are Animal-Assisted Interventions?
Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) consists of Education (AAE), Activities (AAA), and Therapy (AAT). Education includes animal welfare, identifying animal behavior, and safely interacting with animals. Activities consist of casual visits to public settings as well as private settings to provide comfort and/or companionship when requested by either the individual, the family member, or a human service professional. Therapy requires the visit to be consistent and to be goal-orientated with measurable outcomes. Many health professionals that may incorporate AAI's into their setting are Registered Nurses (in nursing interventions), counselors, teachers, and physicians.
Caring for our Military Children
Our U.S. Military has been in sustained conflict for over 17 years and the toll it is taking on our military families is beginning to surface through military children. Often described as the most resilient of children, a comprehensive California study (2013) measured the impact the conflict has had on children of military families. The study concluded that a survey of over 500 adolescents, comparing military and nonmilitary children, indicated military children were 3 times more likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, engage in risky behavior, and be at risk of suicide. Please encourage screening of children at appointments or in schools to include asking if they are a part of a military family.
For resources specific to caring for our military families and their children, please download this free form.
For resources specific to caring for our military families and their children, please download this free form.
| 2017_resources_for_military_family_members.docx |