Can animals and people help heal each other? The mutually
beneficial relationship between humans and non-human animals is evident in
aged-care facilities, hospices, hospitals and other settings.
This week we spoke to Warrant Officer Class Two (WO2),
Jayne Morley, a Physical Training Instructor specialising in rehabilitation in
the Australian Army. WO2 Morley has been in the army for 30 years, and has been
a volunteer at Sydney Dogs and Cats Home (SDCH) for the past five years.
The Australian Army now has an arrangement to send
injured soldiers to Sydney Dogs and Cats Home to volunteer. The benefits go
both ways.
WO2 Morley spoke to us about the initiative.
What
is your role?
I am a Physical Training Instructor specialising
in rehabilitation posted to the Trainee Rehabilitation Wing (TRW) at Holsworthy
Barracks. TRW is a facility which manages the rehabilitation of soldiers who
have been injured through training, not through operational deployments. The
soldiers referred to us have physical injuries and the average age is generally
between 17 and 25 years of age. TRW manages on average 60 soldiers at one given
time with the capacity of 84.
The injuries the soldiers suffer range from
stress fractures to lower limbs, varying injuries to hips, knees, ankle and soft
tissue injuries, plus back and shoulders injuries. These injuries are commonly
from a result in extra loads of carrying packs and increased physical output. Each
soldier has completed their basic training in the army and/or has commenced
their Initial Employment Training specific to their allocated Corps, and may
have sustained injuries during this training.
TRW holistically manages the
soldiers with a team including a Medical Officer, Physiotherapists, Mental
Health practitioners, external clinical specialist and Physical Trainers. The
soldiers are managed administratively through a team of Army personal who
provide military training and mentoring. TRW’s main focus is to return soldiers
to their allocated corps or make recommendations for the best outcome for the
soldier and Army.
What do they do?
TRW visit SDCH on a weekly basis on Wednesday
afternoons from 1230 to 3pm. Each week, 11 injured soldiers and one staff
member assist SDCH with any tasks required by the staff of SDCH, but ultimately
to spend time with the animals including walking dogs or spending time with the
cats and rabbits. On occasions the soldiers may be tasked to do more arduous
tasks like cleaning, dismantling of old equipment or even area beautification,
to which they are all eager to assist as it gives them a sense of purpose and
achievement.
How do the soldiers benefit from this?
Visiting and supporting SDCH gives
back to the community and develops a healthy relationship between the
Australian Army and a charity organisation such as SDCH. Ultimately it is the
“giving back” to animals in need which then redirects a sense of self focus. At
the end of each shift SDCH has a survey which is provided to the soldiers which
asks questions on individual’s motivation, mood and energy before and after,
and what was the highlight of their shift. All surveys returned have been
extremely positive with all soldiers extremely keen to continue volunteering.
Majority of soldiers enjoy getting
away from the typical rehabilitation environment for an afternoon and getting
out, walking the dogs and spending time with the animals. They also love to
know of the adoption stories about the animals they have spent time with.
How do the animals benefit?
The animals are able to have the love
and care they deserve and interact with people which aid in the animals socialisation
with humans. A huge positive for the dogs is that they are able to get an
additional walk and time out and away from their kennels providing them greater
enrichment in their lives and to assist them in finding their forever homes.
Are there vets working in the army?
Yes Army does have employed
Veterinarians. At the School of Military Engineering, Holsworthy Barracks there
is a specialist wing for the training of Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD).TRW has
an additional program where we “sign out” an EDD on a daily basis and bring to
our workplace. This is a dog that is not currently in training, however
provides excellent socialisation for the dogs and we provide the kennel manager
feedback of the dog’s behaviour. It also benefits by providing a sense of
responsibility for the soldiers to care and manage the dog in a working and
training environment. THE EDD Cell have an appointed Vet on site for the
necessary care of the dogs.
Thank you WO2 Morley. Meantime Sydney Dogs and Cats
Home is seeking donations to build its new premises. You can find out more
here.
