Massage Therapy Journal Fall 2024

48 • Massage Therapy Journal

AMTA Continuing Education

emotional support does not turn an animal into a service animal. 23 Health Literacy and Reducing Communication Barriers Health literacy is the ability to read and understand basic health care information so appropriate decisions can be made about products and procedures for themselves and others. 24 Failure to incorporate health literacy principles into professional practice can lead to miscommunications and barriers that result in patient safety events. Errors in care and adverse events associated with health literacy include mistakes in the delivery of services, such as performing the wrong procedure, incorrect use of tools, and various client injuries, including slips and falls. 25 Health literacy includes both reading and numerical skills. The average American adult reads at about an 8th-grade level. However, 20 percent of Americans read at the 5th-grade level or below. 26 Low literacy is more common in older adults, individuals with disabilities (primarily due to reductions in sight and hearing), immigrant populations and minorities, people with low levels of education, those who have low income, and those who are uninsured or enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid programs. 27 Even people with strong literacy skills can face reading challenges, such as when they are unfamiliar with terminology, when dealing with a new or serious health condition or when feeling tired, overwhelmed or confused. Despite this knowledge, most health care information is written at an 11th or 12th-grade reading level, meaning that it is not accessible to many people. Additionally, most clients are hesitant to disclose that they have literacy problems. Communication Strategies for Your Massage Practice It is best to take a “universal precautions” approach and assume that all clients may need help understanding the information presented to them. Massage institutions and therapists must take responsibility and make it easier for people

There are only two questions that can be asked if a person with a disability enters a public facility or place of public accommodation and has an animal with them: 1. Is the animal required because of a disability? 2. What work or task has the animal been trained to perform? These questions should only be asked if the animal’s service tasks are not obvious. For example, these questions may not be asked if the dog is observed guiding an individual who is blind. The business may not ask additional questions or for proof of the animal’s status or the disability. The service animal’s handler is responsible for the care and supervision of the animal. If a service animal behaves in an unacceptable way (i.e., barks, growls) and the person with a disability does not control the animal, a business does have the right to deny access to a service animal that disrupts their business. Support animals. Emotional support animals and therapy animals are not service animals under the ADA law. Support animals provide comfort and companionship and sometimes help with depression, anxiety and certain phobias. They do not have the special training to perform tasks that assist people with disabilities. Furthermore, a note from a physician stating that a person has a disability and needs an animal for

amtamassage.org/mtj