Service Dogs And Medical Conditions: Dog Helps Woman With Traumatic Brain Injury, Fainting Spells
A young woman who suffers from brain bleeding and often faints gets by with a little help from her service dog.
About five years ago, Janaye experienced a traumatic brain injury that has continued to affect her everyday life. Thanks to her furry four-legged friend, Colt, her days are a little easier, and more importantly, safer.
Fifteen minutes before Janaye is about to faint, Colt is there to assist her to a safe place to lie down, ABC reports. Once she is safe and passes out, Colt will lick her hands and listen to her breathing to assure everything is okay. Finally, he will apply deep pressure therapy and lick her face to get her out of her pass-out spell, Janaye describes in a YouTube video.
In addition to fainting assistance, service dogs can help with other common issues associated with traumatic brain injuries, including loneliness, memory difficulty, blurred vision, confusion, and anxiety, according to Operation Overwatch, a service dog training program.
Service dogs are able to detect changes in their owner’s mood, heart rate, and stress level. They are also able to remind their owner to take medication, and can even retrieve it for them. Additionally, the dogs are able to calm an individual's anxious feelings to help relax them.
TBI is caused by a harsh hit to the head or body. In the latest data, from 2013, TBI contributed to the deaths of about 50,000 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
See also: Dogs Can Sense Human Feelings, Too: Here’s How They Can Improve Our Health
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