People-Animal Connection (PAC)
Aiding in the comfort and healing of critically ill patients and their families since 1994
The Growing Need for Animal-Assisted Therapy and Activity (AAT/A)
While medical advancement has resulted in shorter hospitalization, it also offers treatments and procedures for previously terminal diseases and injuries that may require long-term hospital care. Patients may experience stays of weeks or months, causing separation from loved ones and familiar surroundings. Prolonged pain, discomfort, and boredom often lead to loneliness, depression, and even hostility.
Dogs are naturally interactive and provide relief from long days in the hospital, helping patients to shift their focus from discomfort to enjoyment. The animals' unconditional love and attention brighten everyone's day - patients, visitors, and staff alike. Medical research has shown that AAT/A brings about physiological signs of relaxation such as decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate. In addition, AAT/A stimulates activity in Alzheimer's patients and in physical therapy and rehabilitation.
About UCLA’s People-Animal Connection (PAC)
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, Stewart and Lynda Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA, and Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA have one of the most comprehensive AAT/A programs in the nation: UCLA People-Animal Connection – PAC.
PAC volunteer-dog teams offer companionship and warmth to more than 500 critically ill children and adults per month. PAC was founded to enhance physical healing and emotional well-being through the canines' instinctive bond with patients of all ages, cultures, and socioeconomic levels.
Each PAC team (consisting of the canine and his/her human parent) must meet UCLA's strict eligibility criteria and successfully complete a nationally standardized behavioral exam. Following the exam is a lengthy period of screening and training, including classroom studies and supervised on-site visits. Only then may a volunteer-dog team qualify to be a PAC team.
PAC provides care for many underserved and indigent individuals within Southern California’s multicultural communities. Its success at the Westwood campus has led to the expansion of AAT/A at many UCLA medical facilities. PAC also offers guidelines and materials for export to medical institutions nationally and abroad.
Contact Us
PAC has been given national recognition in Newsweek, Los Angeles Business Journal, Los Angeles Times, and numerous other local printed media. It also has been featured on NBC’s Today Show, and a recent KNBC-Los Angeles video about PAC was nominated for a News Emmy. Several PAC teams have been the recipients of special awards for their work at UCLA. The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations uses PAC protocols to promote AAT/A, nationally and internationally.
For additional information about PAC, please contact:
Jack Barron, Director UCLA People-Animal Connection 757 Westwood Plaza, 7th Floor, Office No. 7267 Los Angeles, CA 90095-7159 Phone (310) 267-8184 Fax (310) 267-3672 jackbarron@mednet.ucla.edu
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