It is well documented that the non-judgmental acceptance and unconditional love given by therapy animals can play an important role in reducing stress and boosting self-esteem. At the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, Animal Assisted Activities (AAA) is a Child Life program that welcomes the benefits of the human-animal bond!
Trained volunteer handlers bring their tail-wagging, certified therapy dogs to patient care units throughout the hospital so they can interact with our patients and families. These wonderful service animals have a way of making every person visited feel special.
Currently, planned visits of our handler and therapy animal teams take place twice a month, on Fridays at 11:30 a.m. Before each session, an inpatient unit is selected and patients from that unit are invited to visit with the dog. In order to participate, patients must receive parent/guardian and physician consent for the visit.
If you are a trained handler with a certified therapy dog and would like to volunteer in our Animal Assisted Activities program, please contact Beth Carlough, CCLS, at (302) 651-4848.
For more information on the benefits of AAA, please visit the sites below.