In collaboration with the Barry Foundation in Martigny, the Clinique romande de réadaptation has been offering a new service to its patients since mid-August 2021: therapy with a Saint Bernard dog.
These sessions are organised with a dog trainer and therapists (physiotherapist or occupational therapist, neuropsychologist) and aim to work on, for example: touch and manual dexterity when brushing the coat, attentional memory or speech to give instructions, balance and gait when walking.
The contact with the animal allows the therapy to be approached from a new perspective. The relational, emotional and motivational aspects, as well as the capacity for endurance, perseverance and self-transcendence emerge in particular thanks to the St. Bernard.
Video report
Watch here the report broadcasted by the daily newspaper 20 Minutes