Walk with Me™

Walk With Me™

Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program Special Initiative

Walk With Me™ Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program Special Initiative

Therapy Animal Program Contact Information Pet Partners 875 124th Ave. NE, Suite 101 Bellevue, WA 98005-2531 www.petpartners.org 425-679-5530 [email protected]

Contents

Why Walk With Me™? ...... 10 Understanding Terminology ...... 12 Checking for a Good Fit ...... 14 Best Practices for Walk With Me™ Visits ...... 16 Setting up Walk With Me™ ...... 21 Addressing Potential Challenges ...... 23 Promoting Safety and Limiting Risk ...... 26 Planning for Success ...... 28 Appendix ...... 31 Resources ...... 33

W E L C O M E ! As a Pet Partners volunteer you have a wide variety of ways that you can make a difference in your community. Based on the Call to Action document that the office of U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released in 2015, Pet Partners has created the Pet Partners Walk With Me™ program as a special initiative. Walk With Me™ gives our volunteers another opportunity to participate in activities that benefit their community and promote human health and well-being. While you participate in Walk With Me™ visits, all Pet Partners policies and procedures still apply. However, this handbook goes into more detail about best practices that help make the interactions that are unique to walks and physical activities with therapy animals safe and effective. To orient yourself, we invite you to begin your introduction to the Walk With Me™ program by reading the following excerpts from the Executive Summary of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action about walking and walkability. A Call to Action is a science-based document that’s intended to stimulate nationwide action to address a major public health issue. This Call to Action presents the research that shows why walking is an important factor in overall health.

orientation Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities (Excerpts from the Executive Summary)

One out of every two U.S. adults is living with a chronic disease, such as heart disease, cancer, or diabetes.1 These diseases contribute to disability, premature death, and health care costs.2,3 Increasing people’s physical activity levels will significantly reduce their risk of chronic diseases and related risk factors.4,5 Because physical activity has numerous other health benefits — such as supporting positive mental health and healthy aging — it is one of the most important actions people can take to improve their overall health.4,5

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(continued) Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities recognizes the importance of physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. It calls on Americans to be more physically active through walking and calls on the nation to better support walking and walkability. Improving walkability means that communities are created or enhanced to make it safe and easy to walk and that pedestrian activity is encouraged for all people.6 The purpose of the Call to Action is to increase walking across the United States by calling for improved access to safe and convenient places to walk and wheelchair roll and by creating a culture that supports these activities for people of all ages and abilities. The Call to Action includes five strategic goals to promote walking and walkable communities in the United States: make walking a national priority; design communities that make it safe and easy to walk for people of all ages and abilities; promote programs and policies to support walking where people live, learn, work, and play; provide information to encourage walking and improve walkability; and fill surveillance, research, and evaluation gaps related to walking and walkability. Action by multiple sectors of society, as well as by families and individuals, will be needed to achieve these goals. Chronic Disease in the United States Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death in the United States and major contributors to disability.3 In 2012, almost 50% of U.S. adults, or 117 million people, were living with a chronic disease, and of this group, about 60 million were living with two or more chronic diseases.1 Chronic diseases also ranked as four of the top five most costly medical conditions.7

Benefits of Physical Activity Being physically active is one of the most important steps that people of all ages and abilities can take to improve their health.5 Increasing people’s physical activity level will significantly reduce their risk of chronic disease and premature death and support positive mental health and healthy aging.4,5 Physical activity can reduce illness from chronic diseases and premature death.4,5 Regular physical activity helps prevent risk factors for disease (such as high blood pressure and weight gain) and protects against multiple chronic diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and depression).4,5 In children and adolescents, physical activity can improve bone health, cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness, and body composition.4,5

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(continued) People living with chronic disease also benefit from being physically active.4,8–20 For example, physical activity can lessen the severity of their condition, as well as prevent disease progression and premature death,4,12–16 help manage or reduce symptoms,8–11 and improve mobility.13,16 Among adults, physical activity is associated with improved quality of life,4,21,22 emotional well-being,4,23,24 and positive mental health.4,23–25 Regular physical activity is also important for healthy aging5 and may delay the onset of cognitive decline in older adults.4,26–28 In children and adolescents, some evidence suggests that physical activity can lower levels of anxiety and depression.4,29–31 When schools encourage participation in physical activity as part of physical education, recess, classroom lessons, or extracurricular activities, students can also improve their academic performance.32,33

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans To obtain substantial health benefits, the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination, each week and that children and adolescents be active for at least 60 minutes every day.5 People who are inactive and those who do not yet meet the guidelines are strongly encouraged to work toward this goal. Adults with disabilities who are unable to meet the guidelines should avoid inactivity and try to get regular physical activity according to their abilities.5 Physical Activity in the United States Despite the health benefits, only one-half of U.S. adults reported levels of physical activity consistent with the guideline for aerobic physical activity in 2013.34 Adults who were male, younger, white, or Asian or who had higher levels of education were more likely to have met the aerobic physical activity guideline.34 Only 27% of high school students reported levels of physical activity that met the guideline for 60 minutes of physical activity a day in 2013.35 Male high school students and students in lower grade levels were more likely to meet the guideline.34,35

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Why Focus on Walking as a Public Health Strategy? Strong evidence exists that physical activity has substantial health benefits.4,5 People can get these benefits through brisk walking or by adding brisk walking to other physical activities.5 Walking is an excellent way for most Americans to increase their physical activity. It is also a powerful public health strategy for several reasons. Walking does not require special skills, facilities, or expensive equipment and is an easy physical activity to begin and maintain as part of a physically active lifestyle.36 Most people are able to walk, and many people with disabilities are able to walk or move with assistive devices, such as wheelchairs or walkers. Walking has a lower risk of injury than vigorous-intensity activities.5,37 Walking also may be a good way to help people who are inactive become physically active because walking can be easily adapted to fit one’s time, needs, and abilities.5,37 Walking is a common form of physical activity. In 2010, more than 60% of adults reported walking 10 minutes or more in the past week for transportation or leisure.38 Adults with more education, those who were white or Asian, and those who were younger were more likely than their counterparts to report any walking.38,39 People walk for many purposes, such as for transportation to get to school, work, a store, or the library or for leisure to have fun, socialize with friends or family, walk their dog, or improve their health. Because walking is multipurpose, it provides many opportunities for people to incorporate physical activity into their busy lives. In 2010, about half of U.S. adults reported walking during their leisure time and less than one-third reported walking for transportation.40

Why Don’t People Walk More? Many more people could meet the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans5 by starting to walk or increasing the amount they walk. Although walking is a popular form of physical activity and can be easily done by most people, barriers to walking do exist. People report lack of time as one challenge that prevents them from walking or doing other kinds of physical activity.50,51 People may struggle to meet the current guideline for regular aerobic physical activity as they cope with competing demands of work, school, home, and caring for themselves and others.

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(continued) Disability, chronic conditions, and age can be barriers to walking. During 2009–2012, 11.6% of U.S. adults aged 18–64 years reported a disability, and adults with disabilities were more likely to be physically inactive than adults without a disability.74 Chronic conditions and age can make it difficult for people to walk. For example, people with arthritis may find walking painful.75 Older adults and those who are frail may be reluctant to walk because of concerns about falls and subsequent injury.

How to Increase Walking and Improve Walkability Ultimately, individuals make the decision to walk. However, the decision to walk can be made easier by programs and policies that provide opportunities and encouragement for walking and by improvements to community walkability. Several program and policy strategies are recommended to increase physical activity, including walking. For example,  Creation of or Enhanced Access to Places for Walking with Informational Outreach. Creating or enhancing access to places for physical activity, combined with information to encourage use of these places, is a strategy recommended to increase physical activity.80,81 Examples of places for walking include public parks; health, fitness, and recreational facilities; schools, colleges, and universities; malls; senior centers; and worksites.  Social support interventions. Social support interventions increase physical activity by providing supportive relationships for behavior change.82 They include actions that provide friendship and support, such as buddy systems, contracts with others to complete specified levels of physical activity, or walking groups. 80,81  Individually-adapted health behavior change programs. These programs teach behavioral skills that help participants incorporate physical activity into their daily routines.80–82 Programs usually incorporate some form of counseling from a health professional or trainer to help participants set physical activity goals, monitor their progress toward these goals, seek social support, and use self-reward to reinforce progress.82,83  Community-wide campaigns. A community-wide campaign is a concentrated effort to promote physical activity that combines a variety of strategies such as media coverage, risk factor screening and education, community events, and policy or environmental changes.81,84

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Conclusion Promoting walking offers a powerful public health strategy to increase physical activity. With the Call to Action, the U.S. Surgeon General calls on Americans to be physically active and for the nation to better support walking and walkability for people of all ages and abilities. To improve walking and walkability, communities need to be designed to make walking safer and easier; programs and policies need to be available to support and encourage walking; and individuals and families need to support each other to become and stay active. Many partners are already involved, but more engagement is needed to increase the reach, breadth, and impact of these efforts. Walking is an easy and inexpensive way to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. Now is the time to step it up and make walking a national priority.

References 1. Ward BW, Schiller JS, Goodman RA. Multiple chronic conditions among U.S. adults: a 2012 update. Prev Chronic Dis. 2014;11:130389. 2. Gerteis J, Izrael D, Deitz D, et al. Multiple Chronic Conditions Chartbook. AHRQ Publications No, Q14-0038. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; 2014. 3. U.S. Burden of Disease Collaborators. The state of U.S. health, 1990–2010: burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors. JAMA. 2013;310(6):591–608. 4. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008. 5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services; 2008. 6. Federal Highway Administration. A Resident’s Guide for Creating Safe and Walkable Communities. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Dept of Transportation; 2008. FHWA-SA-07-016. 7. Cohen S. Statistical brief #455: The concentration of health care expenditures and related expenses for costly medical conditions, 2012. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st455/stat455.shtml. Accessed April 7, 2015. 8. Fransen M, McConnell S, Hernandez-Molina G, Reichenbach S. Exercise for osteoarthritis of the hip. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014;(4):CD007912. 9. Cooney GM, Dwan K, Greig CA, et al. Exercise for depression. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013;(9):CD004366. 10. Carek PJ, Laibstain SE, Carek SM. Exercise for the treatment of depression and anxiety. Int J Psychiatry Med. 2011;41(1):15–28.

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(continued) 11. Fransen M, McConnell S, Harmer AR, Van der Esch M, Simic M, Bennell KL. Exercise for osteoarthritis of the knee. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015;(1):CD004376. 12. Heran BS, Chen JM, Ebrahim S, et al. Exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2011;(7):CD001800. 13. American Diabetes Association. Standards of medical care in diabetes — 2014. Diabetes Care. 2014;37(suppl 1):S14–S80. 14. Whitworth JA, World Health Organization, International Society of Hypertension Writing Group. 2003 World Health Organization (WHO)/International Society of Hypertension (ISH) statement on management of hypertension. J Hypertens. Vol 212003:1983–1992. 15. Hagberg JM, Park JJ, Brown MD. The role of exercise training in the treatment of hypertension: an update. Sports Med. 2000;30(3):193–206. 16. Colberg SR, Sigal RJ, Fernhall B, et al. Exercise and type 2 diabetes: the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association: joint position statement executive summary. Diabetes Care. 2010;33(12):2692–2696. 17. Thompson PD, Buchner D, Piña IL, et al. Exercise and physical activity in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: a statement from the Council on Clinical Cardiology (Subcommittee on Exercise, Rehabilitation, and Prevention) and the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism (Subcommittee on Physical Activity). Circulation. 2003;107(24):3109–3116. 18. Eckel RH, Jakicic JM, Ard JD, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC guideline on lifestyle management to reduce cardiovascular risk: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2014;129(25 suppl 2):S76–S99. 19. Cosman F, de Beur SJ, LeBoff MS, et al. Clinician’s guide to prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Osteoporos Int. 2014;25(10):2359–2381. 20. Rock CL, Doyle C, Demark-Wahnefried W, et al. Nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors. CA Cancer J Clin. 2012;62(4):243–274. 21. Bize R, Johnson JA, Plotnikoff RC. Physical activity level and health-related quality of life in the general adult population: a systematic review. Prev Med. 2007;45(6):401–415. 22. Brown DR, Carroll DD, Workman LM, Carlson SA, Brown DW. Physical activity and health- related quality of life: U.S. adults with and without limitations. Qual Life Res. 2014;23(10):2673– 2680. 23. Penedo FJ, Dahn JR. Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2005;18(2):189–193. 24. Windle G, Hughes D, Linck P, Russell I, Woods B. Is exercise effective in promoting mental well- being in older age? A systematic review. Aging Ment Health. 2010;14(6):652–669. 25. Steinmo S, Hagger-Johnson G, Shahab L. Bidirectional association between mental health and physical activity in older adults: Whitehall II prospective cohort study. Prev Med. 2014;66:74–79.

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(continued) 26. Smith JC, Nielson KA, Woodard JL, Seidenberg M, Rao SM. Physical activity and brain function in older adults at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Sci. 2013;3(1):54–83. 27. Sofi F, Valecchi D, Bacci D, et al. Physical activity and risk of cognitive decline: a meta-analysis of prospective studies. J Intern Med. 2011;269(1):107–117. 28. Blazer DG, Yaffe K, Liverman CT, eds. Cognitive Aging: Progress in Understanding and Opportunities for Action. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press; 2015. 29. Larun L, Nordheim LV, Ekeland E, Hagen KB, Heian F. Exercise in prevention and treatment of anxiety and depression among children and young people. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006;(3):CD004691. 30. Biddle SJ, Asare M. Physical activity and mental health in children and adolescents: a review of reviews. Br J Sports Med. 2011;45(11):886–895. 31. Brown HE, Pearson N, Braithwaite RE, Brown WJ, Biddle SJH. Physical activity interventions and depression in children and adolescents. Sports Med. 2013;43(3):195–206. 32. Rasberry CN, Lee SM, Robin L, et al. The association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance: a systematic review of the literature. Prev Med. 2011;52:S10–S20. 33. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Association Between School Based Physical Activity, Including Physical Education, and Academic Performance. Atlanta, GA: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services; 2010. 34. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HP2020 Objective Data Search website. Physical Activity. http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/data-search/Search-the-Data ?f%5B%5D=field_topic_area%3A3504&pop=&ci=&se=. Accessed March 20, 2015. 35. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth risk behavior surveillance — United States, 2013. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(suppl 4):1–168. 36. Lee IM, Buchner DM. The importance of walking to public health. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2008;40(suppl 7):S512–S518. 37. Morris JN, Hardman AE. Walking to health. Sports Med. 1997;23(5):306–332. 38. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital signs: walking among adults — United States, 2005 and 2010. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep. 2012;61(31):595–601. 39. Paul P. Analysis of data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey. http://www.cdc.gov /nchs/nhis/about_nhis.htm. Accessed November 5, 2014. 40. Paul P, Carlson SA, Carroll DD, Berrigan D, Fulton JE. Walking for transportation and leisure among U.S. Adults — National Health Interview Survey 2010. J Phys Act Health. 2015;12 (suppl 1):S62–S69. 50. Lee C, Ory MG, Yoon J, Forjuoh SN. Neighborhood walking among overweight and obese adults: age variations in barriers and motivators. J Community Health. 2013;38(1):12–22.

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(continued) 51. Brownson RC, Baker EA, Housemann RA, Brennan LK, Bacak SJ. Environmental and policy determinants of physical activity in the United States. Am J Public Health. 2001;91(12):1995– 2003. 74. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vital signs: disability and physical activity — United States, 2009–2012. MMWR Morbid Mortal Wkly Rep. 2014;63(18):407–413. 75. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Physical Activity and Arthritis Overview website. http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/pa_overview.htm. Accessed January 15, 2015. 80. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Increasing physical activity. A report on recommendations of the Task Force on Community Preventive Services. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2001;50(RR-18):1–14. 119. National Physical Activity Plan. http://www.physicalactivityplan.org /NationalPhysicalActivityPlan.pdf. Accessed March 20, 2015. 120. Thorpe, R. J., Jr.; Christian, H. E.; Bauman, A.; Johnson, R. A.; Beck, A. M.; McCune, S. (2011) “Dog walking as physical activity for older adults.“ The health benefits of dog walking for pets and people: evidence and case studies (pp 75–88) 121. Wright, K. K.; Brown, A. M.; Johnson, R. A.; Beck, A. M.; McCune, S. (2011). “Kids and K-9s for healthy choices: a pilot program for canine therapy and healthy behavior modification to increase healthy lifestyle choices in children.“ The health benefits of dog walking for pets and people: evidence and case studies. (pp 163–180) 122. Wood, L. L.; Christian, H. E.; Johnson, R. A.; Beck, A. M.; McCune, S (2011) “Dog walking as a catalyst for strengthening the social fabric of the community.“ The health benefits of dog walking for pets and people: evidence and case studies. (pp 51–73)1

1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Promote Walking and Walkable Communities: Executive Summary (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Surgeon General, 2015), https://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/walking-and-walkable-communities/exec- summary.html (accessed May 1, 2017).

Why Walk With Me™?

Could the Saturday morning walk that you already take with your registered therapy animal be turned into an opportunity to get other people in your community walking? We believe it could. The Surgeon General’s Call to Action, together with a body of research that supports the benefits of walking with animals, makes it clear that walking is yet another way that Pet Partners therapy animal teams can enhance human health and well-being through animal-assisted interventions (AAI). Research has shown that, among older adults, dog walkers are more likely to meet physical activity recommendations, and that they have faster usual and rapid walking speeds than dog owners who don’t walk their dogs2. What if walking with a Pet Partners team could help an older neighbor who doesn’t have an animal of his or her own stay healthy longer? In addition, researchers have been interested in the potential positive impact on children, and in the potential for positive outcomes for overweight or at-risk children and their families. Studies have also shown a correlation between dog ownership and adolescent physical activity3 and have concluded that, within dog-owning families, the promotion of walking and active play with a dog can be a strategy for increasing children’s physical activity4. But what if a family doesn’t own a dog? Could Pet Partners give children an opportunity for increased physical activity, helping them establish healthy lifelong habits? Furthermore, evidence shows that the presence of a dog during a walk creates or enhances the perception of safety5. By offering people in your community an opportunity to walk safely with a handler and his or her dog, could Pet Partners help make them interested in becoming more active?

2 Roland J. Thorpe et al., “Dog Ownership, Walking Behavior, and Maintained Mobility in Late Life,” Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 54, no. 9 (2006): 1419–1424. 3 John Ronald Sirard et al., “Dog Ownership and Adolescent Physical Activity,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine 40, no. 3 (2011): 334–37. 4 H. Christian et al., “Understanding the Relationship Between Dog Ownership and Children’s Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour,” Pediatric Obesity 8, no. 5 (2013): 392–403. 5 Hayley Christian et al., “The Association Between Dog Walking, Physical Activity and Owner’s Perceptions of Safety: Cross- Sectional Evidence From the US and Australia,” BMC Public Health 16 (2016): 1010.

Researchers have often investigated the role of animals as social support and social lubricant. As part of these investigations, they have also been interested in exploring what dog walking can contribute through social interaction, formation of friendships, social support, civic engagement and visible community presence, and how these contributions benefit not only the dog walkers but the broader community. Could Walk With Me™ give you a way to strengthen your community through relationship building? And don’t forget the benefits to your team! We already know that, as a volunteer, you care about and have a strong commitment to your community. As a responsible pet owner, you also have a concern for and commitment to the health and well-being of your animal. Animals can benefit as much as humans from regular physical activity. And of course, by participating, you, the handler, will get out and walking too. As a Pet Partners volunteer, you already improve lives through therapy animal visits in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, VA centers, retirement communities, schools, airports and hospice facilities. Walk With Me™ is yet another way for you to share the benefits of AAI — in this case, with people that you might not reach through your visits in more traditional settings.

Understanding Terminology

The terms that are used in therapy animal work can be a bit confusing. However, as a well-trained Pet Partners volunteer, you should have an understanding of the kind of therapy animal work that you’re participating in. Let’s take a closer look at some examples to help clarify how these terms might be applied within the Pet Partners Walk With Me™ special initiative. As you’ll recall from the Pet Partners Handler Course, Pet Partners Handler Guide or the Pet Partners website (petpartners.org/learn/terminology), animal- assisted interventions (AAI) is the umbrella term for a variety of volunteer activities that you might participate in. Walk With Me™ supports opportunities in all three types of AAI: animal-assisted activities (AAA), animal-assisted therapy (AAT), and animal-assisted education (AAE). AAA Animal-assisted activities provide opportunities for motivational, educational and/or recreational benefits to enhance quality of life. Although meaningful outcomes might follow these activities, the outcomes aren’t formally measured by a professional, or they can’t be directly attributed to the activities.

Examples of AAA  A local Parks and Recreation program is leading a community-based initiative to get more residents walking. Families can sign up to come and walk with a therapy llama on the first Saturday of every month at a safe and easily accessible location.  A therapy animal team resides in a high-rise condominium in a major city. Neighbors often stop the handler to interact with the dog, mentioning how much they miss having a dog of their own. The handler posts a sign in the common area, inviting neighbors to join him and his registered therapy animal for a 3-mile walk in a local park every Wednesday evening during the summer. Neighbors who participate not only begin to walk more regularly but also experience a greater sense of community in their building.

AAT Animal-assisted therapy is a goal oriented, planned, structured and documented therapeutic intervention that’s directed by health and human service providers as part of their profession.

Examples of AAT  A mini-horse that’s registered with Pet Partners already makes regular visits in a retirement community and is a much-anticipated visitor. The occupational therapist (OT) notices that one resident, Mrs. Smith, isn’t very motivated to participate in OT activities that are designed to improve her balance and gait, but that she really seems to look forward to the mini- horse’s visits. Therefore, the OT approaches the handler and asks whether they might partner to encourage Mrs. Smith to walk more as part of a therapeutic intervention. Mrs. Smith now looks forward to her OT sessions where the mini-horse is present.  A school has a special initiative that’s co-led by a nutritionist and the school nurse. Each participating student has an individualized plan around diet and exercise, and pre and post data is collected. As one of the activities, the school offers students who participate in all their scheduled activities during the week an opportunity to go on a hike with a therapy llama after school. Data is also collected about any change in the students’ attitudes toward hiking as physical activity. AAE Animal-assisted education is a goal-oriented, planned and structured intervention that’s directed by a general education or special education professional. The focus of the activities is on academic goals, pro-social skills and cognitive functioning. Student progress is both measured and documented.

Examples of AAE  A Physical Education (PE) teacher and a Biology teacher team up for a special academic project at the local high school. They plan a series of lessons where students learn about the muscles and joints that humans use when they run, and compare them to the muscles and joints that a dog uses when it runs. A Walk With Me™ team is invited, so that the dog can serve as a live model of dog anatomy, and then the class goes jogging with the team.

Checking for a Good Fit

Pet Partners therapy animal teams that have passed their team evaluation may volunteer in settings that align with their qualification rating. Handlers are responsible for ensuring that any setting that they volunteer in is a good fit for both their animal and themselves. Walk With Me™ might be of particular interest to a handler who already has a personal goal to walk more, or who already takes regular walks with his or her animal in a companion animal role. In such cases, Walk With Me™ can give handers a way to have a positive impact on their community without adding to their regular volunteer commitment. Although we consider Walk With Me™ a natural fit for dog, llama/alpaca and mini-horse teams, it’s up to individual handlers to determine whether it’s a good fit for them and their animal. Why Participate in Walk With Me™? Here are some common reasons for participating in this special initiative:  The handler and animal both enjoy walking!  The animal is a younger animal that might enjoy the combination of physical activity and meeting new people.  The handler believes in the importance of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action and thinks that a community-wide effort to get citizens walking is important.  Walk With Me™ provides a healthy, free way for friends, families and neighbors to spend time together.  Walk With Me™ is a great opportunity to visit in a multi-generational way while introducing families who don’t currently have an animal to the benefits of companion animals.  The team has visited with other populations, and the handler would like to try something new, to keep the visiting experience fresh for the animal.  The handler is looking for new challenges and opportunities, and establishing Walk With Me™ events in the community sounds appealing.

What Makes a Great Walk With Me™ Handler?

 You enjoy walking, physical activity and being outdoors.  You’re comfortable interacting with more than one or two individuals at a time.  You enjoy the prospect of interacting with a wide variety of ages and abilities.  You want to be an advocate for physical activity.

Best Practices for Walk With Me™ Visits

YAYABA™ YAYABA™ is a core concept of the Pet Partners Therapy Animal Program. It stands for: You Are Your Animal’s Best Advocate By being your animal’s best advocate, you ensure not only the well-being of your animal but also the safety of the people who interact with your therapy animal team. It’s a critical component for any Pet Partners visit and represents the respect that you have for your animal. Let’s see how handlers might apply YAYABA™ during a Pet Partners Walk With Me™ visit.

Scenario 1: Diana and Thunder My mini-horse Thunder and I were at a neighborhood health fair, recruiting families to come and walk with us in a local park on the first Saturday of every month. There were lots of booths for a wide range of groups, from community sports teams to pediatrician’s offices. But of course, Thunder was one of the most popular attractions. We were coming to the end of our stay, and everything had gone well — several families had expressed interest in joining us for walks. Then a family of four approached. As I was talking with the mother about walking as a family, I saw the dad pick up one of the kids to put him on Thunder’s back. Although Thunder probably wouldn’t have minded, that isn’t his job as a therapy animal. I quickly changed position and stepped between the dad and Thunder, essentially blocking my horse. I politely explained that Thunder wasn’t giving any rides today, but we’d love to have them join us for our next group walk. The dad said that it was OK, because his son had ridden before at his grandparent’s farm. I was polite but firm, and said that Thunder wasn’t for riding. Then I asked the kids whether they would like to touch Thunder’s soft muzzle and redirected the interaction to something that I facilitated. The kids were enchanted, and Thunder enjoyed being stroked by small hands.  Walk a mile in their shoes: How would you have handled this dad? Would you have been able to stop this situation? Handlers are terrific people who want to help others, but YAYABA™ empowers them to say no in a nice way when something isn’t a fit for their animal.

Scenario 2: Tom and Gracie My dog Gracie and I were invited to go mall walking with a group of seniors. This group meets every Tuesday morning to walk through our local mall. This seemed like a great option for us. The mall would be relatively quiet at this time of day, and because it’s inside, weather wouldn’t be an issue. I know that I should be walking more for my own health, and Gracie is always up for a walk with friends. We met the group for our first walk, and everyone said hi to Gracie. She was loving the attention and made several friends very quickly. As we started out on our walk, I noticed that the linoleum floors had just been polished and were a little slick for Gracie. She was walking a bit tentatively and kept looking back toward me. Whenever we stopped so that someone could tie a shoe or take off a sweater, she would slide into a down. Eventually, I decided that she just wasn’t enjoying herself. She wanted to like the walk, but the newly polished floors were bothering her. I explained to the walking group that Gracie was uncomfortable and we needed to end our walk a little early. I was worried that they would be disappointed, but they were very understanding. Many of them choose to mall walk to avoid tripping hazards, so they understand how important it is to feel safe and secure while walking. We agreed that we would try again, maybe after the polish had worn down a little. I also made a mental note to contact the mall’s management to see whether I could learn anything about the custodial schedule. Maybe we could schedule the walks just for weeks when the floors wouldn’t be polished.

 Walk a mile in their shoes: When do you make the call to stop a visit? Could you have recognized a minor level of discomfort in your animal, particularly during an activity that it normally loves? Tom was attuned to Gracie’s body language and knew that, although her discomfort was mild, ignoring it could affect the trusting relationship that they have as a team.

PETS™ As you’ll recall from your handler training, Pet Partners uses the acronym PETS™ to describe the ways that a handler can subtly reassure, settle and support his or her animal so that the visit is a positive experience for everyone. PETS™ stands for:

 Presence: Maintain both physical closeness and mental presence, staying constantly aware of your animal.  Eye contact: Keep your animal in your field of vision, and make frequent eye contact to facilitate communication.  Touch: Place your hand on your animal as a form of praise, encouragement or reassurance.  Speech: Speak to your animal in a conversational and reassuring tone.

Let’s explore some Walk With Me™ scenarios where handlers successfully practice PETS™.

Scenario 1: Shannon and Bella When Bella, my German shepherd, turned her head and put her ears up after seeing a squirrel race up the side of a tree, I reached over and patted her on the shoulder to get her attention, and then cheerily said “Let’s go.” We barely broke our stride, and the group continued along the path.

 Walk a mile in their shoes: Outdoor walks are bound to bring more distractions. Make sure that you know what your animal’s possible triggers are outside, and plan your PETS™ strategies. You want to keep Walk With Me™ visits a positive experience for your animal and fun for you and the other walkers.

Scenario 2: Steve and Dolly Dolly the llama and I were doing a hike with a Boy Scout troop when we heard the buzz of a model airplane overhead. Although the kids thought it was cool, Dolly wasn’t impressed. Because I didn’t know who was controlling the plane and couldn’t ask him or her to fly it somewhere else, we stepped into the tree line, where the plane wouldn’t go, and I positioned myself in front of Dolly to stroke her neck and make eye contact until she relaxed. The Boy Scouts took the opportunity to get a drink of water. After everyone, including Dolly, was refreshed, we continued on our way.  Walk a mile in their shoes: During walks, there might be times when you can’t quickly excuse yourself — you might be halfway through a walk and 15 minutes from your car. Before you encounter this type of situation, plan some options. The first option is to use PETS™ to support your animal, but what else could you consider doing? Positioning Tips Here are some tips for making sure that your animal is positioned so that it’s content and everyone remains safe during your walks.

Leash Management Pet Partners equipment guidelines apply to all Walk With Me™ activities. This means that you’ll be walking with a lead that’s a maximum of 6 feet long. To avoid tripping walkers, and also to keep your animal from being stepped on (or stepping on someone else), it’s best if your animal walks at your side. There’s no need for your animal to have an obedience trial–quality heel, but at your side, there’s less chance that your animal will weave from side to side, constantly shifting position. Some handlers already use a secondary leash as part of their current facility visits. This is certainly an option for Walk With Me™ visits too, particularly for individual walkers. However, if you plan to use a secondary leash, consider where it’s attached to your animal, and what could happen if the person who holds it walks faster or slower than the pace that you’re setting. This could send confusing signals to your animal, resulting in anxiety or stress. Similarly, multiple walkers might want to hold the leash, requiring you to manage turns or time limits. Secondary leashes are your choice, but realize that they might not be well-suited to all walks, depending on the client and the environment.

Position Relative to the Walkers Some animals will have a distinct preference for being at the front of the pack rather than being in the middle or bringing up the rear. Some might prefer to walk on the outside of the group, so that they aren’t surrounded by walkers. Some might not care at all, as long as they’re next to their handler. There’s no single right way to position your animal relative to other walkers, but you should be attentive to your animal’s preferences. Set your therapy animal up for success, so that Walk With Me™ visits are fun, not stressful. If you’re walking with an equine, llama or alpaca, consider having someone that you know, and who’s familiar with the species, help you by walking behind the animal. This might help prevent walkers from surprising your animal if they come up quickly or want to touch or pet your animal as they pass. Also consider explaining to your walkers that these animals are known to relieve themselves mid-stride while outdoors. This can be another persuasive way to convince walkers that it isn’t a good idea to walk too closely behind your animal. Walking With Other Animals Walk With Me™ is based on the idea that walking can be a fun group activity. This might extend to walking with other therapy animal teams too. If multiple therapy animal teams will be present for a walking activity, be thoughtful about positioning the animals relative to each other. Will the animals do best if they walk side by side? Does one animal prefer to lead the pack? If different species are involved, are they comfortable near one another, or is distance preferred? Remember: you can only anticipate and manage how your own animal will behave. If you’re planning to walk with another therapy animal that you and your animal don’t already know, consider arranging a meeting ahead of time, to help ensure that everyone will be comfortable together. Share the Road Our final positioning tip extends to both animals and human walkers. If you’re walking in a group, be considerate of other members of the community who use the same sidewalks, paths or trails that you’re using. And remember that not everyone is comfortable around animals, even well-behaved therapy animals. Imagine that you’re someone who’s fearful of dogs. You turn a corner and suddenly find yourself facing a dog and four people who are walking side by side, so that you can’t easily pass. How would you feel? As the leader of your group, you might need to politely remind your fellow walkers to leave room for people who are walking in the opposite direction, no matter how tempting it is for all of them to walk right next to your animal.

Setting up Walk With Me™

As you get ready to start participating in Walk With Me™, you can use the following guidelines as a checklist: 1. Consider your target audience. Who would you and your animal like to walk with? Families? Nursing home residents? Apartment or condo dwellers? School children? Would one of the facilities where you already visit be interested in this sort of activity? 2. Reach out to a potential facility partner. To some extent, your Do I Need a Facility choice of a target audience will guide your choice of a facility Partner? partner. This could be anyone from the activity director in an assisted living facility to the building manager at your apartment Not necessarily. You complex. Also ask yourself whether there’s an existing program could decide to handle that you could become part of, such as a program that’s run by all the details yourself. your local Parks and Recreation department. After you’ve However, this means identified a potential facility partner, politely request a meeting that you might have to with an interested staff person. It’s best practice to leave your do some promotion of animal at home until you’ve worked out the details. Impressions your own to help spread matter, and you want to be both professional and conscientious the word about your of the way that animals are brought into the facility. Walk With Me™ event. 3. Educate the facility partner about Walk With Me™. If the facility’s staff is unfamiliar with Pet Partners, you might need to clarify what a therapy animal is, explain your qualifications as a rigorously evaluated therapy animal team, and also clarify details about your coverage under Pet Partners’ commercial general liability insurance (CGLI) policy. Explain that you want to motivate others to be physically active by inviting them to walk with your animal. Consider sharing the details of the Surgeon General’s Call to Action. 4. Establish roles and responsibilities. After you’ve determined that you have a willing partner, there are logistics to consider. Some facility partners might want to assist you with logistics, such as determining who will participate. Others might expect you take the lead. Questions to consider might include:  Who will participate?  How many walkers can participate at once?  Is there any expectation about a participant’s ability level? For example, will the event be a fast-paced urban hike or a leisurely stroll through a park?  Will there be a sign-up process? How will that be handled?

 If the walk will start from or take place on facility property, are there preferred routes or locations for your animal while it’s on the premises?  Could inclement weather be an issue? If so, is there a backup plan or cancellation communication plan?  Can the facility help you promote this opportunity through fliers or an announcement in a newsletter? 5. Review the logistical details of your walk location. Before you can start walking, you’ll need to determine your meeting location and route. Some things to consider might include:  Length of the route  Difficulty of the terrain  Is the meeting spot easily identifiable?  Availability of parking at the meeting spot  Access to bathrooms and trash cans?  How crowded is the route, typically?

Addressing Potential Challenges

Although you might think that nothing sounds more fun than going for a walk, hike or jog with some new friends, you need to consider your animal’s preferences — and also possible challenges. In this section, we’ll touch on a few of the challenges that you might experience while you participate in the Pet Partners Walk With Me™ special initiative. For each challenge, we’ll give you a few hypothetical situations to consider. We’ve suggested one possible response, but be sure to ask yourself whether there’s another solution that might be more appropriate for your animal.

Crowd Control Most animals (including humans!) like having a routine and a familiar environment, but the outdoors can have higher levels of sudden change than other environments. Even if you plan your Walk With Me™ event for only two or three fellow walkers, it’s likely that you’ll meet other people on the way who will want to pet or interact with your animal. Stay on top of crowd control, and recognize that you won’t have the same “quick exit” options that you might have in a facility. You partnered with a community center that agreed to manage sign-ups for your Walk With Me™ event so that no more than 12 people could register in advance. But when you arrive at the meeting spot, an entire youth soccer team sees you, and all the kids want to pet your animal.

 Be proactive, and explain to the kids that you’re there for a planned event, and that there are people who have already registered. But encourage them to think about signing up at the community center for the next walk.

While you’re walking with your group, other people who are enjoying the park that day constantly try to stop the group and ask to take a “selfie.”

 Consider having someone from the organization that you’re partnering with — or even a friend — accompany you. That person can politely explain that this is an organized activity and tell the interested people how they can sign up to participate on another day.

Unexpected Sounds You can encounter many interesting and unexpected sounds while you’re enjoying the outdoors. For example, there might be a car horn, an ambulance siren or squealing tires. Does your animal recover quickly after experiencing a loud or unusual noise? Remember that you should be able to support your animal by practicing PETS™ (Presence, Eye contact, Touch, Speech). You’re contacted by a local health club that wants to partner with you on a Walk With Me™ event. However, part of the proposed route is along a busy highway.  It’s great that the facility partner is thinking about the route ahead of time, but as a proactive handler, you should ask the contact person to explore the possibility of a quieter route, for everyone’s comfort and safety.

Some children are participating in the walk, and after they get comfortable with each another, they start to become rowdy and loud, chasing each other and screaming.  You can stop the walk and first comfort and assure your animal. Then explain to the children why that behavior might be upsetting to animals, and tell them that the walk can’t continue until everyone walks calmly. You can suggest that there might be time for the kids to play together after the walk is over.

Smells What’s That Smell? For your animal, one of the most interesting parts of a walk might be Any walk is likely to the new scents that it encounters. You might need to balance the present an endless goals of the walk between physical activity for all walkers and smorgasbord of new and enrichment for your animal. interesting scents to You meet up with your fellow walkers at the appointed park your animal. Consider bench, and you notice that your dog is very interested in smelling walking the route in one lady. It turns out that she has several cats at home. advance with your animal, giving them an  Before you start your walk, give your animal a proper appropriate amount of introduction to each walker. That way, it has a chance to sniff time to stop and sniff. ahead of time, and you can get down to the business of walking.

Your dog is accustomed to being able to stop every 20 feet or so to sniff during your evening stroll. On your first Walk With Me™ visit, they don’t seem to understand the sudden change to their leisurely routine.

 Be sure to set yourself and your animal up for success, so that Walk With Me™ visits remain fun and positive for your animal. Does your animal wear a vest or bandana for other therapy visits? Sometimes, a uniform can help set the tone, so that your animal recognizes the difference between a “work” outing and a “social” outing. Other Animals Other animals can unexpectedly appear during a visit in any setting, but the odds that this will happen outdoors are even higher. Other people might be out walking their dog, and there might also be wildlife such as squirrels, rabbits, raccoons and birds. The goal is that every Pet Partners team will inspire confidence in the people that they interact with by remaining reliable, predictable and controllable. Can you anticipate any situations that might be a greater challenge for your animal outdoors? You round a bend on the trail, and suddenly you’re facing another hiker and his large, barking dog.

 Use your YAYABA™ (You Are Your Animal’s Best Advocate) skills. Do your best to move over to the side of the trail, and position yourself in such a way that you can safely advocate for your animal. You might want to call out in greeting, explain that you’re a therapy animal team on an organized group activity, and say that you’ll wait until the hiker and his dog pass by.

Your Animal’s Physical Fitness We hope that Walk With Me™ will enhance the health of both our therapy animal teams and their communities. However, but if you don’t currently walk or exercise with your animal on a regular basis, don’t start with a grueling hike for your first Walk With Me™ event. It’s always best to start small and build up as you get a sense of your team’s stamina and level of comfort for these activities. Per Pet Partners policy, your walks shouldn’t exceed the 2-hour limit, regardless of intensity. Your dog developed mild arthritis after a past injury, but it hasn’t been a problem recently.  Make sure that your veterinarian is aware of your plans to start walking more, and watch your dog closely to make sure that this new activity doesn’t cause the arthritis to reappear.

Promoting Safety and Limiting Risk

Infection Control During therapy animal visits, there exists the potential to inadvertently transmit illness. Therefore, to minimize risk, handlers should observe best practices when they visit with their animal. Although it isn’t practical to stop and perform hand hygiene every time that someone touches your animal during a walk, you can and should encourage best practices at the start and end of your Walk With Me™ event. Physical Safety Trips and ankle twists can happen on any surface, but when selecting a route for a Walk With Me™ event, it’s a good idea to be mindful of the surfaces that you’ll cover. Thoughtful positioning of your animal can also help prevent incidents from occurring because, for example, someone becomes tangled up in your animal’s leash or is stepped on by your animal. Pet Partners recommends that you walk with a mobile phone, if possible, in case there’s an injury that requires medical assistance. Although Pet Partners volunteers never provide direct medical assistance, you might consider carrying a few Band-Aids or a travel first aid kit your fellow walkers can use themselves in the event of a skinned knee or scratch. Use good judgement, and don’t put yourself in a situation where you’ll be isolated with strangers. If your event isn’t coordinated by a facility or group that knows all the participants, you might want to ask a friend to join you until you get to know the route and your fellow walkers. When possible, choose well-lit, well-traveled paths for your walks.

Photographs and Electronic Safety Handlers should refrain from taking photos of clients, particularly children, for their own personal use. If there’s a specific need to take photos, such as an opportunity to be featured on the Pet Partners website or in our newsletter, be sure to get written permission before you take any photos. If participants at a Walk With Me™ event want to take a photo of themselves with your animal, you can choose whether to participate. You may decline, or you may ask them to get just your animal in the picture. In this case, you can lean a little to the side, still holding the animal’s leash, while the photo is being taken. This is a personal choice, but handlers should be aware that the photos that are taken can end up on Facebook and other social media sites. And remember: per Pet Partners policy, you must never give your animal’s leash to anyone else, even for a photo opportunity.

Planning for Success

Before you step out for your first Pet Partners Walk With Me™ visit, it might be helpful to look for ways that you can fine-tune your usual approach to visits, so that you set your animal up for success in this new type of activity. Remember: you want your animal to associate these activities with positive feelings, and a little advanced planning and practice can go a long way toward ensuring that Walk With Me™ is fun for everyone, both two-legged and four-legged.

 Plan and walk your route before you have people join you.  Are there areas where distractions will be too difficult, such as a part of the route that passes a yard filled with growling, barking dogs?  Will you have designated “pit stops” where you’ll plan to let your animal take a break and relieve itself?  Practice using PETS™ (Presence, Eye contact, Touch, Speech) while you’re walking. A Walk With Me™ visit is different from a regular visit, but you’ll still want to proactively support, encourage and praise your animal.  Investigate your animal’s preferences for walking in groups by starting out with friends and family.  What’s the most comfortable way for you to carry any gear, such as hand sanitizer, waste bags, a mobile phone, first aid materials, a water bottle and trading cards?  Consider working on a “let’s go” cue to indicate when you’re walking with a purpose and when it’s OK for your animal to stop to sniff.  Know the signs of overexertion for your animal’s species, and plan your cool-down ritual to ward off soreness and stiff joints — for both of you! Supply Suggestions The great thing about Walk With Me™ is that you don’t need much to get started! Here are some common supplies that might be useful on a Walk With Me™ visit:

 Hand sanitizer  An umbrella or rain gear, in case the weather changes  Treats for the animal, if desired  Waste bags for cleanup after your animal “takes a break”  A water container for your animal to drink from  Water for you

 Trading cards — These are optional, but they’re a big hit with kids. Check out the Pet Partners trading cards on our website (www.petpartners.org).  A photo release, if desired  A travel-sized first aid kit for skinned knees or scratches, if desired  A mobile phone, in case you need to call for emergency assistance Snapshot of a Walk With Me™ Event Before you begin to do a new type of therapy animal visit, it’s sometimes helpful to be able to envision a typical visit from start to finish. In this way, you can fit together all the details and guidelines that you’ve read and heard about, put them in context and realize just how fun, rewarding and easy a visit can be! To help yourself imagine what your first Walk With Me™ event might be like, read the following story about Mike’s first event.

Mike’s First Walk With Me™ Event! Mike and his dog Petunia moved to the area 3 years ago, and although he had met a variety of people, he was pretty sure he could still explore the area more. A friend mentioned that there was a nice trail that went around the small lake just outside of town. Mike decided to check it out with Petunia one Saturday morning and found a very picturesque walk that took about 30 minutes. He noticed the trail was both wide and level, and that there was a small parking lot with picnic benches nearby. It seemed like a great place to coordinate a Walk With Me™ event! Mike and Petunia normally visit at a children’s hospital, but that wasn’t quite the right fit for a walk around the lake. So Mike decided to reach out to the leadership of the Rotary Club that he’s a member of. He explained that this wasn’t just a social and networking opportunity, but a great way to promote physical activity and heart health for the club’s members. Mike said that, as a Pet Partners volunteer and a Rotary member, he would love to help coordinate a walk at the end of the month for anyone who was interested. The Rotary Club agreed to help promote the walk in its regular newsletter and at its next meeting. Mike helped write the description, including not just details about where they would meet, but some information about how strenuous the walk would be and how long it would take, and some tips about dressing comfortably but in layers. He encouraged Rotarians to bring their family members too.

The day of the walk came. Mike and Petunia arrived early, wearing their Pet Partners gear. Other people started arriving, and Petunia did a great job of welcoming everyone. They left right on time, but first Mike explained to the other walkers that this might be a popular path, so they should work as a group to make sure that there was room for other people to walk past. He also assured everyone that Petunia would be happy to “cool down” near the picnic benches after the walk, in case anyone wanted to socialize. The group set off with Mike and Petunia in the lead. The group spread out a little over the course of the walk, with some faster-paced walkers in front and a few people in the rear who enjoyed stopping occasionally to look at the flora and fauna. As the group reached the end, a handful of walkers decided that they would do another loop and thanked Mike before continuing on their way. Several people stayed around to pet Petunia after she enjoyed a drink of water from her portable bowl. Still more asked when the next walk would be. Mike felt great! He had gotten some exercise, met some new people and inspired others to get outside and moving. Petunia was happy too. She loved the walk and enjoyed making some new friends. She celebrated with a well- deserved nap when they arrived home.

Appendix

Resources

The concept of walking programs isn’t new. Lots of good resources are available to help you enhance your own Pet Partners Walk With Me™ events and your knowledge about walking for health. In this section, we’ve included a few select resources, together with some notes about what you might find most helpful. Get moving!

Step It Up! The Surgeon General’s Call to Action This site includes the complete text of the Call to Action, with much more information about walkable communities and how to foster them. You’ll find a variety of links to other resources, and even a music playlist for your walks! www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calls/walking-and-walkable-communities /#Call to Action

The American Council on Exercise Walking Walk This Way! Toolkit This toolkit is geared toward individuals. It has great background information about the benefits or walking, and also includes interesting walking facts. Also, be sure to check out the tips and tricks for improving your walking form. www.acefitness.org/advocacy/pdf/Walking_Toolkit_Community.pdf

Walking School Bus Program Guide To help end the obesity epidemic, it’s crucial to instill in children the idea of walking as a cornerstone to good health. If you have school-age children or live in a neighborhood with kids, consider establishing a “walking school bus” program, where groups of children walk to school with one or more supervising adults. The National Center for Safe Routes to School offers an online course to help you implement a “walking school bus” program. Aside from the health benefits that come from spending more time engaged in physical activity, a program of this type gives kids an opportunity for socializing and helps them develop a greater sense of community. apps.saferoutesinfo.org/training/walking_school_bus

Mall Walking Program Guide Do you live near a mall? Sometimes environmental factors affect the amount of walking-related physical activity that people engage in. One way to address this is to do your walking indoors, such as in a mall. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Prevention Research Center, in cooperation with the University of Washington Health Promotion Research Center, put together Mall Walking: A Program Resource Guide, which provides guidance about how to start a mall walking program in your community. www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/downloads/mallwalking-guide.pdf Volunteer Walking Team Create the Good, an AARP initiative, created a toolkit that’s geared toward volunteers who want ideas for easy ways to start walking groups or teams within their community. Combine some of these getting started ideas with the Walk With Me™ concept, and you’ll be off and running in no time! The toolkit contains a step-by-step approach to starting a walking group and tips for finding local partners and starting a walking team. createthegood.org/toolkit/start-walking-group Finding Hikes and Trails Looking for “the road less traveled” for your Walk With Me™ events? Several sites, such as www.trails.com and www.traillink.com, can help you find trails in your area and provide details about trail length, the activity level that’s required to complete the trail, and the necessary skill level. The non-profit organization American Trails maintains an extensive database of the country’s designated National Historic Trails, National Scenic Trails and National Recreation Trails. www.americantrails.org/resources/statetrails. America Walks America Walks is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to making America a great place to walk. They provide resources, technical assistance, and a national voice to local, state and national advocates who are working to provide their communities with safe, accessible, and enjoyable places to walk. www.americawalks.org

Every Body Walk! Campaign The Every Body Walk! campaign is a partnership of national, state and local organizations, federal agencies, businesses and professional associations that’s committed to developing and implementing collective approaches to return walking to its status as a valued cultural norm for all Americans. Every Body Walk! is striving to create environments where more people are walking in more walkable places. They offer several resources, including a documentary about walking. www.everybodywalk.org.