*This is a guest post
In this article, Bolt Burdon Kemp explain how guide and assistance dogs can be used.
Guide dogs are often
associated with the blind, but blind people are not the only people
that can benefit from a guide dog as a friend and helping hand. Guide
dogs often have really extraordinary skills such as opening and
shutting doors, picking up laundry and some guide dogs can even help
their owners to get dressed if they are unable to do so.
People with
traumatic brain injury (or TBI) often need to reclaim their lives
after a serious accident such as a car crash and guide dogs can help
them do so. A guide dog is not just able to help with basic everyday
tasks but it will also aid with the emotional distress that some
sufferers of traumatic brain injury will be in. The dog can help to
relieve stress which is what sufferers of TBI need.
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/smerikal/6790532273/
Guide dogs can help
to alert sufferers of TBI of an immediate seizure. These dogs can
often spot oncoming seizures about 10 minutes in advance which is
very helpful for the victim. The dogs then help their owners to find
a safe spot so they can feel as comfortable as possible during a
seizure. A seizure alert dog can save the sufferer’s life as it
will alert them to take medication if needed.
Seizure alert dogs
often need years of training which is quite costly but charities help
to train the dogs and match them with their owners.
Last but not least,
guide dogs are not just helping with tasks but they are also a friend
and often one of the most important aspects in a traumatic brain
injury victim’s life. A traumatic brain injury can leave someone
feeling lost after having lost parts of their memory. They may not
even know their own family members anymore and have difficulty
remembering how to do very simple tasks.
If you see a guide
dog in the street, they will be marked as such and often wear a
badge. Many of their owners will be grateful if you come up to them
to make conversations and are happy to answer questions you might
have about their guide dogs.
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