The SF/SPCA held its annual recognition dinner for volunteers at the California Culinary Academy on June 23, 2003. Before acknowledging volunteers marking major anniversaries of service, Animal Assisted Therapy Specialist Christopher Bergman made the following comments:
"Its good to be here tonight at what is an important annual moment for thousands of San Franciscans. It's a moment where I am given what feels like an impossible task, that of thanking AAT volunteers on behalf of so many people in our city who would not otherwise, but for the efforts of the volunteers, be able to experience animal contact at all, due to a health crisis or disability or need for institutionalization, and if there ever was a gathering of humans who realized the value and importance and healing magic of animal contact it is us gathered here tonight.
"So from the babies and children at UCSF Medical Center and the pediatric units of CPMC and Kaiser to the octogenarians and centenarians at Mission Bay Convalescent Hospital and the VA Rest Home. From the marble columns of The San Francisco Towers to the converted storefront outpatient mental health clinic in the Tenderloin a few blocks from here. From the patients and residents and staff at over a hundred healthcare and assisted living centers in our city. Please hear in your mind's ear a massive chorus of thanks in many human languages and take them to your heart and share them with the furry therapist with whom you work."
This year the SF/SPCA thanked the following human volunteers for five, ten, and fifteen years of faithful service in Animal Assisted Therapy.
Five Years
Nancy Campanili once worked in cardiac rehabilitation but later switched to administrative work. She found she still needed her "patient fix" and thought of AAT as a way to get it. Tucker, who she rescued from death row through Lab Rescue, turned out to be a wonderful human assisted therapist. Recently he also made his mark in agility, being judged among the top ten Labs in the country. They have been focusing exclusively on visits to Pediatric patients at the University of California Medical Center in San Francisco.
When Renita Herrmann's son was 5, she wanted him to experience a pet, but her work kept her traveling often. So she brought him on an occasional AAT visit but soon realized that he was far more interested in the animals than in the folks they would visit. Renita now works with Chile Chinchilla, who likes the cold days, and Sandy the Bearded Dragon who likes the hot ones, and in the past she has worked with the rabbits and guinea pigs who have been part of the program. She says that many people get excited just seeing her familiar T-shirt and the pet carrier, anticipating seeing the animals. She finds AAT "a wonderful part of my otherwise hectic schedule, and a pleasure."
Cynthia Hilton met Myles, her current service dog, through Burmese Mountain Dog Rescue. Myles brought Cynthia into the world of AAT. His natural gifts when relating to people convinced her to give it a try. They have had an especially powerful impact with patients suffering depression and disorientation in psychiatric settings, focusing a great deal of their time at California Pacific Medical Center.
When Sandee Singer was a newcomer to the area, it was her absolute love of animals and her desire to connect and give back to the community that led her to AAT at The SF/SPCA. For the past two years she's been part of a team providing animal visits for the young people at Burt's Children's Center. She also had the opportunity early on in her AAT work to concentrate on a patient with brain damage who was basically unresponsive until the dog visits began. She provided him with repeated visits over time and saw first hand how AAT led to great strides towards recovery. She has worked with all the animals that have been part of the program during her time here - reptiles, rodents, and hearing dog students, all with great success.
Ten Years
Phyllis Bishoff heard about our AAT program from a nurse friend. The then director of the AAT program told Phyllis just to talk to the people she visits about her dog, who was the real therapist in this setting. And that's just what she does. Many patients who have shared part of their life with a dog are eager to talk to her about them. Phyllis saw that a patient doesn't need to be able to speak English to be able to fully enjoy and communicate with a dog during an AAT visit. Phyllis also remembers when an uncommunicative person recovering slowly from a stroke, made enough progress to express to Phyllis how she actually loved the dogs and had a picture of them from a visit long ago on her bulletin board. This brought home to Phyllis the important point that especially with the elderly, the appreciation of the animal contact may not be instantly apparent or obvious but be profoundly beneficial nonetheless.
Clemmie Thompson read about AAT when she was a dog volunteer. Ginger joined the family at 9 years old and became an excellent AAT animal. When she passed on at age 16, Ned joined the family and followed in Ginger's footsteps in AAT. Like Ginger, he became a bed and wheelchair specialist. Clemmie remembers many successes with both dogs. From silent tears to words spoken for the first time in years. Clemmie has continued to be an all-star dog volunteer too. Every Sunday (and some Saturdays), she is the first one here. She always walks some of the more difficult dogs and helps with the feedings. Clemmie even buys stuffed animals for the dogs. Clemmie's love of animals and people is always in evidence.
Fifteen Years
Linda Gikas first heard about our AAT program from a veteran volunteer and before long she was busy doing visits with the two big dogs she shared her life with during that time. She became well aware of the benefits the activity provided the animals and of their awareness of the importance of the work. In more recent years she has been doing AAT work with Hearing Dog students. In addition to giving back to the community, Linda regards the work as a "reality check' offering a valuable perspective on life.
Kathleen Russell rescued Poppy in 1987. When Poppy passed on, Kathleen felt she could be helped through her grief by volunteering with animals in Poppy's memory. One day in the infirmary she met Love, who was very ill and slated for euthanasia. Love reminded Kathleen of Poppy and she decided to adopt her, medical problems and all, and nursed her back to health. When Kathleen retired from the nursing profession, she and Love began doing AAT regularly. Love has a special gift for sensing when cuddling is needed and an intuitive finesse for avoiding IV tubes and other hazards. Recently they have been focusing on visits to St. Mary's Hospital on an ongoing basis.
(left to right) Christopher Bergman, Program Director, Kathleen Russell, Volunteer, Linda Gikas, Volunteer, Sandee Singer, Volunteer
AAT WITH ALZHEIMER'S
There is No Time Like the Present
By Robert Sarison, MA, LMFT
Program Manager Irene Swindells Alzheimer's Residential Care Program at California Pacific Medical Center
(From The Bond Vol.4 No.2)
With Alzheimer's disease and related memory disorders, it is tempting to focus exclusively on the profound losses involved. After all, people with dementia are often so disoriented and confused they cannot remember who they are or where they are. This state of being can seem like an on-going existential nightmare to the observer. We can only imagine what it must be like for the actual person with dementia.
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"A human being is a part of a whole ... we experience ourselves, our thoughts, and our feelings as something separated from the rest ... a kind of optical delusion of our consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty." - Albert Einstein |
Paradoxically though, one of the more liberating aspects of dementia is that the present moment becomes one filled with the possibility for meaningful connection. People with dementia can still respond to what is happening around them, and they can still express a wide range of emotions in response to various kinds of stimulation. In fact, the senses of people with dementia at times seem very acute. At California Pacific Medical Center's Swindells Alzheimer's Residential Care Program, we've discovered one of the best forms of sensory stimulation for dementia sufferers is the loving touch of a furry friend.
SF/SPCA Animal-Assisted Therapy visits have been a key part of our activity program since the Swindells Program opened in 1997. Our residents literally come to life when the animals arrive. Residents who have been asleep, or who are no longer verbal, have been known to suddenly start talking, or to make gestures of recognition and familiarity. Unlike people, who often shy away from persons with dementia out of their own discomfort, the pets do not discriminate. They will go in the laps of the residents, lick their hands and allow themselves to be stroked. The pets will do tricks, make playful noises and engage with the residents in a manner that requires them to use all of their senses. The residents are then able to respond to these sensations in the moment, often triggering long forgotten memories of their pets and associations to the animal world.
The visits are always accompanied by resident comments describing their joy and happiness. Ten minutes after the visit concludes, the vast majority of our residents may have little or no memory of what just occurred. If the volunteer and their pet were to return, the whole scene could be played out, over and over again. Of course, as valuable as the SF/SPCA AAT visits are, we could never expect visits everyday, let alone every hour! The point is that for those moments when the volunteers do come, they are making a qualitative difference in the lives of people who have little to look forward or behind to.
IN MEMORY OF DORY
By Sylvia M. Samuolis
My best friend, Dory died of cancer complications on 7/03/03. She was 13 years old and had a good quality of life until the end. Dory, a Portuguese Water Dog (PWD) came to our home at 9 weeks of age. When we picked Dory up to bring her home we were told that she would be a handful. She was a handful, but we loved every minute of her antics. She loved being the center of attention, teasing us with her toys, paper or anything else that was handy to get a game started. She wormed her way onto our bed and claimed her spot, right between my husband and myself.
Dory was a smart, happy, high spirited and comical dog with lots of energy. The PWD is categorized as a working dog so she fit right in as a member of the Animal Assisted Therapy Program. She passed the temperament screening with flying colors and we started visiting facilities in 1996. Dory visited Skilled Nursing Facilities, out-patient programs, psychiatric and AIDS wards, rehabilitation units and hospitals with her companion Rio, another PWD, a volunteer named Carolyn Martin, and myself.
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"The most profound action an individual can take, (barring no species) is to be a comfort to another."
- Ingrid Columbus |
Carolyn was in charge of Rio and my task was to keep Dory entertained and out of trouble. Dory enjoyed being a Pet Therapy Dog because she was very sociable and loved to get biscuits for performing her routine of tricks for residents. To be fair, Carolyn would dole out biscuits to Rio for just being there. Dory was disappointed once because a resident started chewing on a biscuit that was intended for her. She enjoyed showing off and was a clown just as she is pictured. Dory and Rio dressed up for the holidays (the pictured outfit was a celebration of Halloween). Rio also dressed for the occasion and came in his Elvis outfit.
The visits were very rewarding for the residents and also for Carolyn and me. When we visited various facilities we had numerous reactions from both residents and staff. The residents enjoyed talking and reminiscing about their pets that were waiting at home for them or had passed away. The staff felt less stressed after petting the dogs.
I have so many stories and fond memories of our visits. Here are just a few:
In one facility an elderly, quiet lady sat in a wheelchair clutching her stuffed animal to her chest and as soon as the dogs walked into her room she threw the stuffed animal across the room and spread her arms out in glee. She grinned from ear to ear while petting and hugging the dogs.
At another visit, a woman starting petting Dory and spoke her first word since she had been brought to that facility. A resident on a psychiatric ward refused to leave his room or communicate with the staff until he saw the dogs in the hallway. Then he came out of his room, hugged Dory and started to talk to her, then to the staff and others around him.
At a Russian Out-Patient Program a woman was so excited to see the dogs that she kept following Dory around speaking in Russian and touching her until we had to leave the facility.
Our visits even extended out in the community. When people would see the two dogs with their SPCA/ATP scarves around their necks a conversation would be started. Once an elderly man was loaded down with bags of groceries and just had to stop to pet and ask questions about the dogs (an opportunity for Dory to sniff the bag full of food). He had a difficult time managing the groceries so we offered our assistance to carry the bags up the two flights of stairs. He was so thankful that he invited us in for a piece of pie and conversation.
When Dory was diagnosed with cancer we stopped Animal Assisted Therapy and Carolyn and I felt a void in our lives. What a wonderful program the SF/SPCA has that provides stimulation and happiness to confined people by bringing in animals for their enjoyment and giving the volunteers a chance to enjoy themselves and also give to the community.
RETIREMENT ACCOLADE
By Arline Elliot
Mirk, the Border Collie with the big brown eyes, the ever wagging tail and the loving heart is retiring. He will miss his job of shaking hands in every language spoken by the elderly we visited for the last five years. He came a long way from the thin, almost hairless dog foraging for food in the Oakland dump. He has repaid his human rescuers handsomely and now he needs to stay home and rest
with the cats.
"All mammals have your mother's eyes."
... Nellie Lenin
PENNY'S PROCESS
One of the healthcare facilities we visit, a convalescent center in the Mission District of San Francisco, gave us a call about Penny, a semi-feral neighborhood cat who had come in from the courtyard and adopted one of the senior residents. The kitty developed a style of visiting that was so unobtrusive and relaxed that the staff there realized that this was an impromptu therapeutic miracle that they could live with. That is until the lady noticed some changes in Penny's mid-section. It was expanding with the promise of new life.
While one discreet and magical visitor was a bonus, a number of additional fur balls that grow as rapidly as their curiosity and their agility, was not a manageable proposition.
They called us. Could we help? Our feral cat team, led by Maryanne Buxton got right on it. They went and scooped Penny up, brought her in to give birth, have a health check-up, be micro chipped and surgically spared from any reproductive responsibility in the future.
Penny stayed with the kittens to get them started but was clearly not enamored to the job. She had had her fill of it and seemed relieved when they were ready for adoption. And adopted they were - all six. And Penny went back to the rest home and to her friend with the room off the courtyard.
How sweet it is.
- CB
