The Joliet Pug Sept. Meetup

Hi,
At our Sept. Meetup we will be having a talk and demonstration from Season's Hospice on using dogs with Hospice patients.
Below is what they have sent me. I believe this would also provide information on using dogs for nursing home visits.
Please bring chairs with you and drinks for yourself, we will have water for the dogs. If anyone wants to bring snacks, please do so.
I look forward to seeing everyone.
I have also invited the DuPage Pug Meetup to join us.
Floss
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Volunteers are going to the dogs!

Our dogs are certified, our volunteers are trained and we are so excited that our "Loyal Friends Pet Team" has officially been launched and is our newest volunteer opportunity!

We believe that this is going to be a popular choice of service for volunteers and we expect this program to grow accordingly. We already have one dog in the North Teams, two dogs on the South Teams, and one dog who visits the offices (for staff support) and the inpatient units once a month. We have several new volunteers who are interested in this program and will be joining us soon!

Right now, we are accepting dogs that are trained, meet requirements and are registered or certified with Delta Society or Therapy Dogs International prior to coming onto our program.

As part of the interview process, the Pet Team (Dog & Handler) attends a basic dog obedience and temperament interview with the Volunteer Director. Handlers must attend the full Seasons Volunteer Training and meet all the requirements of Direct Patient Care Volunteer. Dogs in our program must have an annual vet exam with current vaccinations on file, as well as having proof of insurance liability through their certifying organization. Pet Team visits comply with protocol for visiting etiquette and infection control.

Once we receive a pet team visit request, our Volunteer Directors contact the volunteers to ascertain availability and travel distance. If available, the team will make an assessment visit to determine if the dog responds well to the patient/family and vice versa. The assessment visit is important because some patients will respond better to a small dog as opposed to a larger dog. Some dogs may have a more energetic temperament while others may be quieter and more appropriate to a particular patient. Some dogs will not do well in a nursing facility environment while others may thrive on it. If it is determined that the pet, the patient and the location are a match, then a visit schedule is determined. While a typical volunteer visits weekly, a pet visit may be bi-weekly or even monthly, depending on the needs of the patient, and the number of patients the team is visiting.

There are many benefits to dogs in hospice.

The simple presence of a dog can add to the physical, social and emotional well being of patients and families. Dogs have the unique ability to connect and bring joy to all kinds of people. Patients smile more often and increase social interactions with pets as loneliness is reduced. Pets are often used to reduce anxiety. Pets also stimulate life review and reminiscing often improving long and short term memory. Petting increases motor skill movement and brings a sense of warmth in touch.

Pet visits can reduce the need for medication as a visit calms the patient and diverts their attention to something else for a time.

As with all things in life, with the pro's come the con's and Pet Team visits may not always be appropriate for every situation. We need to be especially vigilant of patients who view pet visits as threatening, patients who dislike or fear animals, patients with allergies, patients with open wounds or infections, and patients who view pets differently due to their cultural background.

Loyal Friends Pet Team is a true partnership in care which we are confident will bring many hours of joy to patients, family members and staff of Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care!

"Dogs are not our whole lives, but they make our lives whole." ~ R. Caras