Well, yes, puppy! When Mom was moved to her new residence she lost her cherished dog. She never asked about him, or acted as though he were missing. She didn’t act as though she remembered him or even missed him. However, Mom adopted every stuffed animal in the facility, first carrying around for months a pet mini schnauzer I’d gotten her until it disappeared. For one year, every animal was “Sammi,” her beloved dog. So, when I got my puppy I brought her with me, every time.
Gracie was the joy of all the residents, and she grew for two years to know the route to the facility, becoming excited when we’d pull into the parking lot. When we walked in, smiles abounded from the residents from Assisted Living. Oh, cute! And then Gracie and I would enter past the locked door that kept secure the floor that was the Memory Care Unit. So many residents would touch Gracie, pet her, talk to her; and Mom always had her on her lap, from the time Grace was 12 weeks old. It was such a precious time. “Oh, I just love her!” Mom would say, often calling her Sammi. It made me so glad to be able to bring this simple pleasure to Mom. It filled her with joy and love, and I know it helped to reduce her stress and relax her in the comfort of her being able to hold and love up on a live animal.
This is such a positive shift in caring for the elderly, and especially for those with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. The positive effects of animals is palpable, literally, and though there is much yet to accomplish in care facilities, there are many steps in the right direction, and letting residents interact with animals is one of them.
So, if you have a well-behaved dog, and you have a loved one with visitation allowance for dogs, do consider bringing the pet along for a visit. It not only helps your loved one, it opens the way to interacting with other residents who will want to greet your pet as well.
