Bc. Natálie Lupienská: Nonverbal behaviour of elderly people during animal-assisted activity Abstract The aim of the study is to compare nonverbal behaviour of elderly people in three studied interactions: 1) with a therapeutic animal, specifically guinea-pig (Cavia aperea porcellus), 2) with a plush guinea-pig toy and 3) with an ordinary single-coloured cup. Twenty one elderly people (3 men and 18 women, average age of 85 years, SD 7,95 y) participated in the study. All data used for the purpose of the study (video recordings) were collected in a Prague residential house for elderly people in summer 2009. An ethogram composed of sixty elements was prepared. Consequently the Interact software was used for coding of those elements. The inter-subject comparison demonstrated that a guinea-pig significantly enhances an interest in an object and tactile behaviour of observed people. There was no significant difference between the three examined situations in terms of respondent's communication with a therapist, facial expressions or the overall activity. Keywords: nonverbal behaviour, animal-assisted activity, elderly, guinea-pig

Graduation thesis New trends in use of dog at work with child clients. The essential part of the thesis is focused on dog-assisted therapy, respectively on factual opportunities of practicing canistherapy considering the client's needs. Final part of the thesis holds an example of canistherapeutic activities realized as part of the project Not Only People Help in Motol University hospital.

This thesis deals with the cooperation between the canistherapeutic and multidisciplinary team at Arpida, the registered center for the rehabilitation of disabled people.Animal assisted therapy and preferably canistherapy becomes an integral part of the therapy in a variety of social services, we can see it as a part in educational institutions and even medical devices. It is proved among the many studies that canistherapy is based on the interaction between man and dog and also affects the overall quality of life.Since the beginning of the targeted use of animals in therapy specialists have gained a lot of experience, but in the field of canistherapy they still see the lack of link between services, as well as other shortages among the cooperation with other experts.The author in the theoretical part of the thesis deals with description of parts of animal assisted therapy.She outlines the historical origins of therapy using animals, describes a division, methods and the forms used.The next chapter is devoted to the therapy using a dog. It describes the beginnings of canistherapy in the Czech Republic, conditions for practicing the professional kind of therapy and targets of canistherapy.Because the author sees the importance of linking treatment with the help of a dog within other therapies, the following chapters is devoted to a coordinated rehabilitation, its resources and members of the multidisciplinary team. The thesis also mentions the concept of circular care.As an extension of the circular care, the social worker stands on top. One chapter is also devoted to the quality of life. The last chapter is devoted to a brief description of the Arpida center, a multidisciplinary team and canistherapeutical teams which attend the Arpida center.This thesis continues with practical part where the author describes the aim, research questions and research methodology. The aim of the thesis was to determine the extent of cooperation between canistherapeutical and multidisciplinary team in the center of Arpida.For research in the thesis a qualitative strategy was used, meaning an interviewing method and a technique of semistructured interview.The multidisciplinary team experts in the Arpida centre, and the clients´ parents regularly visited by the canistherapist became the research group. It was an occupational therapist, physiotherapists and special needs teacher among the experts. Two main research questions were established: HVO1: In what multidisciplinary team expert´s care is the client using canistherapy? HVO2: Does their professional activity go before or does it follow the canistherapy? The interviews were recorded on a Dictaphone and then transcribed into written form. The results are published in the form of open coding, where the author has defined categories. The research results are divided into chapters according to the categories that have emerged from open coding. The results show that collaboration between multidisciplinary and canistherapeutical team does not exist. Thanks to the openness of informants and their answers, the author has found out that cooperation among these experts is possible. The interviews identified areas where cooperation could begin and with such experts would be the best. Results are supplemented by a table which categorizes streamline and SWOT analysis. The author, in the discussion conclusion has applied her knowledge of practicing professional canistherapy and has proposed recommendations for practice and cooperation in the fields of physiotherapy and occupational therapy.It is very easy to see from the research conclusion that cooperation is possible, and therefore the author would like to recommend the work to a multidisciplinary team from and parents of clients, who see canistherapist regularly. This thesis could serve as an inspiration for canistherapists who cooperate with other professionals and want to elevate their volunteer activities on valid therapeutic or rhb method

Background: The diploma thesis deals with the method of equine facilitated psychiatry and psychology and its use in the treatment of addictions. The theoretical part is the starting point of the whole work. It presents the basic methods of treatment used, the method of Equine facilitated activities and therapies itself and its inclusion in traditional methods of addiction treatment. The research part is based on qualitative data collection. Aims: The aim of the diploma thesis is to describe the use of equine facilitated activities and therapies in residential addiction treatment. Find out how patients and therapists evaluate this method, what areas of life are affected by equine facilitated activities and therapies and how it fits into current treatment methods. Data: The research group consists of eight patients from the addiction treatment department at a psychiatric hospital who met the selection criteria. And two therapists who work with the method of equine facilitated psychiatry and psychology in addicted clients / patients and met the selection criteria. Methods: The chosen type of research was process evaluation. Patients were focused on the focus using a semi-structured interview and a semi-structured interview on the therapists. Results and Conclusion: Research has shown that horses have...

The diploma thesis deals with the use of the relationship between human and nature in social work. The theoretical part deals with the anthropological foundations of this relationship, describes the historical evolution of nature's effects on humans and theoretical approaches to the effects of the environment. It deals with individual influences of the environment and nature on human in the context of the quality of life of postmaterialist society. The second part describes the methods using the relationship between man and nature in social work in relation to current models of social work. The application and use of these methods is a current phenomenon in the Czech environment. Therefore, specific therapeutic approaches used in specific facilities when working with clients and patients are presented below. These are mainly the elderly, people with disabilities and disadvantages, at-risk youth, drug addicts. Of the therapeutic approaches, the work focuses mainly on zootherapy, social agriculture and garden therapy.

The purpose of this diploma work is to introduce zootherapy and therapy dog and to determine the possibilities of employing therapy dogs in education of children in elementary and special schools. The theoretical part of the thesis deals with the description of zootherapy, its forms and methods. It also deals with preparation and exams for therapists. Lastly there is a section on therapy dogs, their personality and preparation for this field of work. You can also find some information on how to choose the best puppy using the puppy aptitude test. The practical part of this thesis deals with the employment of animal assisted therapy at normal and speial schools. The results had been achieved through interviews that I had made with therapists who use dogs at schools and also through obseration during those classes.

This diploma thesis deals with the use of canistherapy in the special education practise. It records the development, methods, forms and type sof canistherapy, included risks and benefits of this psychoterapeutic method. The research parts maps the relationship between the education of dog handlers and the quality of their fieldwork.

Zootherapy is a method based on a positive interaction between animals and humans. The contact with animals has proved good in the treatment of attention and communication disorders, in ill people, in psychiatric patients, the elderly, the sensory, mentally or physically disabled people, but also in healthy individuals. The methods used are Animal Assisted Activities (AAA), Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) and Animal Assisted Education (AAE). Zootherapy in educational institutions has a positive impact on social relationships and learning, developing vocabulary, memory, emotions, it helps enhance self-reliance and it also has effect on physical condition of a child. The objective of this study was to survey the ways of zootherapy utilization in educational institutions in the České Budějovice region. The method of quantitative research was used to achieve the aims. Data were collected by the technique of participating observation, semi-standardized interview, documents analysis and photo-documentation. By the pilot research 9 facilities were chosen. The results have shown that the most frequently used animals are dogs and horses. Most often, zootherapy is carried out by attending the AAA program. The AAE method is not much used, although educational institutions that are involved. Zootherapy is predominantly practiced in people with disabilities. The most professionally developed technique is canistherapy. Zootherapy is provided on a regular basis. Funding is supported by grants, projects, subsidies, sponsors, parents. Educational institutions personnel have little knowledge of zootherapy. Legislature is executed mainly by a contract between the facility and the providing organization. The research outcomes suggest the following hypotheses: H 1: ``The only zootherapy provider in educational institutions within the České Budějovice region are the o.s. Hafík, o.s. Koníček and o.s. Arpida.`` H 2: ``Educational institutions in the České Budějovice region do not have conditions for the resident form of zootherapy.{\crqq} The thesis may serve as a resource for professionals, zootherapists, but also for the general public. All the information is arranged into the register of ways of using zootherapy in educational institutions.