Week 5: Leaning about Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
When it comes to service animals and emotional support animals (ESA) there is a lot of confusion as to what the difference is. While both can have an incredibly positive impact on the lives of the elderly there are some key distinctions between the two that you should know before you get either yourself or an elderly family member.
What are they?
Service animals and ESAs are pets that serve to assist in maintaining the psychological and or physical health of their owner.
ESAs can be any pet ranging from a cat to a parrot and their company and bond play an important role in maintaining the mental health of their owner.
Services animals meanwhile are generally dogs who are specifically trained to assist their owner in managing a specific disability. Unlike ESAs they accompany their owners out and about in the world and assist them in ways such as guiding the blind or warning of oncoming seizures.
So how do I declare my pet as one?
If you’re wanting to declare your pet as an ESA luckily the process is fairly easy. In most cases, all that is required to do so is a letter from your doctor or psychiatrist diagnosing your disability and confirming that your pet aids in the management of that disability.
Having your pet declared as a service animal is a slightly more rigorous process though. While dogs can be trained later in life, most service animals are trained rigorously from a young age to perform tasks specific to their owner's disability.
Why are these certifications important?
While the certification process for service animals is more involved than ESAs there are a number of important legal benefits and protections that come with doing so. For one, service animals can accompany their owners anywhere outside of the home and they cannot be turned away for having their animal with them as per the Americans with Disabilities Act. If someone is a renter and has a service animal their landlord cannot turn them away or force them to remove the pet if it is a service animal either.
Unfortunately, ESAs aren’t afforded these same protections and in many states and cities can be refused to be allowed on the property by landlords. That isn’t the case everywhere though and taking the steps to declare your pet as an ESA can often help in renters disputes. For people who travel frequently, having an ESA certification can be a big help in getting accommodations to travel with their pet?
Which is right for me or my family member?
One of the most common mental disabilities that people struggle with is depression, for the elderly, this is often brought on by isolation. While seeking treatment and medication to help manage these symptoms can be complicated and costly, studies have shown that having pets in the home can have a major impact on reducing and managing depression. Because ESAs can come in so many different shapes and sizes and the certification process to get one is straightforward it’s an incredibly viable option for anyone looking to bring an animal into their home to brighten their lives.
While it would take some extra work, if you or a family member struggles with a disability either invisible or visible--especially one such as blindness or epilepsy that puts limits on your ability to go out into the world-- a service animal could greatly improve quality of life.
What are they?
Service animals and ESAs are pets that serve to assist in maintaining the psychological and or physical health of their owner.
ESAs can be any pet ranging from a cat to a parrot and their company and bond play an important role in maintaining the mental health of their owner.
Services animals meanwhile are generally dogs who are specifically trained to assist their owner in managing a specific disability. Unlike ESAs they accompany their owners out and about in the world and assist them in ways such as guiding the blind or warning of oncoming seizures.
So how do I declare my pet as one?
If you’re wanting to declare your pet as an ESA luckily the process is fairly easy. In most cases, all that is required to do so is a letter from your doctor or psychiatrist diagnosing your disability and confirming that your pet aids in the management of that disability.
Having your pet declared as a service animal is a slightly more rigorous process though. While dogs can be trained later in life, most service animals are trained rigorously from a young age to perform tasks specific to their owner's disability.
Why are these certifications important?
While the certification process for service animals is more involved than ESAs there are a number of important legal benefits and protections that come with doing so. For one, service animals can accompany their owners anywhere outside of the home and they cannot be turned away for having their animal with them as per the Americans with Disabilities Act. If someone is a renter and has a service animal their landlord cannot turn them away or force them to remove the pet if it is a service animal either.
Unfortunately, ESAs aren’t afforded these same protections and in many states and cities can be refused to be allowed on the property by landlords. That isn’t the case everywhere though and taking the steps to declare your pet as an ESA can often help in renters disputes. For people who travel frequently, having an ESA certification can be a big help in getting accommodations to travel with their pet?
Which is right for me or my family member?
One of the most common mental disabilities that people struggle with is depression, for the elderly, this is often brought on by isolation. While seeking treatment and medication to help manage these symptoms can be complicated and costly, studies have shown that having pets in the home can have a major impact on reducing and managing depression. Because ESAs can come in so many different shapes and sizes and the certification process to get one is straightforward it’s an incredibly viable option for anyone looking to bring an animal into their home to brighten their lives.
While it would take some extra work, if you or a family member struggles with a disability either invisible or visible--especially one such as blindness or epilepsy that puts limits on your ability to go out into the world-- a service animal could greatly improve quality of life.
Comments
Post a Comment