A barking dog brought a
reclusive resident at an assisted living facility out of her room for the first
time in many weeks. She smiled as she walked into the hallway and began petting
the dogs visiting on one of ALIVE’s Reach Out Days.
Understanding the power dogs
possess to generate happiness, love and calm, ALIVE developed Reach Out Days to
share some joy among residents of assisted living
facilities, nursing homes, residential and therapeutic day schools for children,
and people with brain injuries or illnesses.
“Reach Out Days were started with the idea of giving back to the
community, by providing interaction and socialization with animals to persons
in need of companionship,” said Carolyn Jones, coordinator of Reach Out Days. “Our
goal is to comfort such people within our community and connect them to
our animals.”
Dog as ice breaker
Volunteers, who typically bring their
own dogs (and sometimes a dog up for adoption at ALIVE), have witnessed forlorn
residents perk up and share stories, memories, jokes and just carry on a
conversation in general when dogs enter the room. Conversations really begin
flowing when the sick or elderly pet the visiting dogs.
Lisa Dartt often volunteers with her
dog Midge.
“The dogs
can draw people out,” she said. “They laugh and smile and chat with us about
animals they might have had in their lives. We can be a welcome distraction for
an hour or so. They can chat with us about what is going on with them or, if
not, we can chat about the dogs.”
The visits
are a win-win-win situation, as both volunteer and dog benefit from the
interaction, too.
Chelsie
Lukens, who volunteers with her dog Pierre, enjoys the conversations with
elderly residents and leaves content knowing she and Pierre helped improve
someone’s day.
“I just
wanted to take their mind off of being cooped up in one building for the rest
of their lives,” she said. “To give them a bit of happiness in what, I assume,
is a very frustrating time in their lives.”
One
conversation with a woman at a rehab center was so moving for Chelsie, she made
a promise to herself.
“She started
crying as she was petting Pierre and we were talking, I had just asked about
her family,” Chelsie said. “She had seven kids, all grown with children of
their own, all in Illinois, but she never sees any of them. She raised them as
a single mom by herself, as an immigrant, but none of her children ever visit
her. That really resonated with me, and I made a vow to never let my mom
whither away by herself.”
And the dogs
love the attention, especially if they’re waiting for a forever home at ALIVE.
No matter what breed they are, they all become attention hounds on Reach Out
Days.
“Sometimes our
own adoptable Barn residents or foster dogs are able to attend the Reach Out
visits,” Carolyn said. “The dogs get the stimulation of a day out in the world,
meeting people and getting lots of love and attention!”
Register for Reach Out
Anyone who
is a registered ALIVE volunteer can participate in Reach Out Days. (To register,
fill out the volunteer form at www.aliverescue.org
and sign the waiver.) There are no special requirements for dogs to participate
other than they must have a good disposition. They should be comfortable being
around and being touched by strangers and do well around other dogs.
“Also, it is
fine if a volunteer wants to come without a dog, and just talk and socialize
with the participants,” Carolyn said.
Taking part
in Reach Out Days can change a person’s life, as Lisa saw the day the withdrawn
woman emerged from her room and on subsequent visits.
“She came
over to us and was smiling and petting the dogs, she had tears in her eyes,” Lisa
recalled. “I saw her on two other occasions. Once, in her room, where we saw
she had a stuffed animal dog on her bed and she was very happy to see us. Midge
spent some time on her bed. The next time, she was up and out in the lunch room
looking alert and much improved.”
