Nursing Home Experience

Hi everyone,

This week was another wonderful week with Hand In Paw. I got the opportunity to go to Kirkwood by the River yesterday, which is a nursing home located near the Irondale area. There were three teams: Janice, her husband Jim, and Dusty; Margie and Simon; and Philippa, her husband Frank, and Pippa. My experiences with going to many different facilities to observe the Hand In Paw teams "work their magic" have all been phenomenal.  However, I have to say that my experience at Kirkwood has been my favorite experience thus far! We visited the Alzheimer's unit, as well as the skilled nursing unit, which caters to older adults that are recovering from surgery, illness, or injury. It seemed as if their whole day suddenly changed with the arrival of the HIP teams. They became bright eyed and surprisingly, very attentive! Some were a little more hesitant to pet the animals than others. Nonetheless, they all seemed to enjoy the company of both the animals and the handlers. I noticed that many of the patients did not want the teams to leave, especially the animal lovers of the facility. Some of them would have sat and pet the therapy animals until they just couldn't pet them anymore. Also, the nursing staff had built a great relationship with the therapy teams, and I could tell that they were enjoying their company just as much as the residents were. It was truly an amazing experience! There was so much love, joy, and happiness in the air between the older adults, the nursing staff, and the HIP teams that it really made me realize the tremendous impact that these animals have on everyone around them.

The teams did a great job with infection control. All of the animals were clean, nails clipped/trimmed, etc., and the handlers also had hand sanitizer on them. I asked Janice and her husband, Jim, about their views on their infection control skills. They felt as though their skills were fine, but one weakness that they voiced was that they felt like they needed more hand sanitizer. They also voiced that they would be willing to go to a focus based class on infection control, if developed, in order to understand more about it.

On another note, CONGRATULATIONS to Janice, Jim, and Dusty for becoming the first Hand In Paw therapy team certified with a Pet Partner approved dog stroller. Both Janice and Jim had to pass their evaluations with Dusty alone, along with a portion of the evaluation that incorporated Dusty and the stroller. It has got to be the cutest thing I have ever seen, and Dusty seems to take to the stroller quite nicely himself (picture below)!

Margie and Simon (left) & Philippa, her husband Frank, and  Pippa (right)

Janice and Dusty

 

Janice, her husband Jim, and Dusty (featured on HIP website)

Dusty in his Pet Partner approved stroller!

         

Children's Hospital

Hi guys,

I finally got a chance to visit a hospital this week (Children's hospital). It was such a great experience! I enjoyed every minute of it. There were four teams (pictures below), and we all sat in the lobby on the second floor and waited for children to come up and interact with the animals. Their faces lit up, as they always do, as soon as they saw the wonderful Hand In Paw therapy dogs. The parents of these children were thrilled, as well. They were so gracious to Hand In Paw for coming out and giving their family so much joy for that brief moment in time. As the children pet the dogs, they began to open up with their own unique stories as if they had known the HIP therapy teams forever. These dogs served as a means of comfort to these children and their families, and even the nursing staff seemed to gravitate toward the therapy teams.

Because this was my first time visiting a hospital with HIP, I was really interested in seeing the way that infection control was going to be implemented in that particular setting. Not only did the children have to have their hands sanitized before and after the entire interaction with the animals, they also made sure that the children (and parents) sanitized their hands after petting EACH animal! In other words, they could not pet another therapy dog until  their hands had been sanitized from petting the dog before. What a great rule! This, alone, can dramatically decrease the risk of microorganisms being spread from one source to another. Personal protective equipment (PPE) was worn as appropriate for the child's condition. Some children did not have to wear any masks or gowns, while others may have worn a mask, gown , and gloves. The teams did an excellent job as far as infection control during this visit, including  making sure the dogs were properly bathed, nails cut, etc.

On a very positive note, Beth Franklin and her dog promise, the founder of Hand In Paw, was one of the teams present at this particular visit! I got a lot of good information from her while waiting on the children to arrive. When asked about her infection control confidence, she stated that she feels as if her infection control skills are fine, but thinks that there is always room for improvement. She makes sure that she does not approach a child that is compromised unless proper precautions have been implemented, such as PPE mentioned in the above paragraph. She said that she would still be willing to attend a focus-based class, however, because it is important to polish up on your skills.

All in all, I would say that today was a very successful and gratifying experience with the HIP therapy teams! I look forward to many more visits in the future. Not just as someone shadowing the teams, but also as a TVA (therapy visiting assistant)!    
 

Beth Franklin and Promise (front) & Andrea and Nico (back)

                                                                                 

Beth Fuller and McGee

Tina and Chives

       

AAT and Children

Hi everyone,

So....I "thought" I was scheduled to go to Children's Hospital this Saturday at 12:45 pm. After calling twice, leaving a voice mail, then sending a text after no one had shown up, I finally got a response. The teams are scheduled to go on the SECOND Saturday of each month rather than the FIRST! Turns out I was a week early! So, my first hospital experience is put on hold, yet again. I have definitely confirmed my spot for next Saturday, however, and I am continuing to wait patiently. Because I had planned on going to Children's Hospital today, I thought I would post another animal-assisted therapy video for you guys, specifically on the effects that AAT has on children and their families. I hope you enjoy!!!