Ashbash31 0 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 At our facility we are having problems with our pet days. Can anyone tell me how you do your pet therapy days? The residents love the pets, especially the dogs...but it's getting to the point where the administrator wants to get rid of pet day. Can you please help, we need some ideas! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsmith 0 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I'm sorry that you are having trouble with your pet visits here is what we do We schedule an Pet Day either once or twice a month and have all pets come in on that day at different times. We do try to have this in a specific area as some of the residents are scared easily of the pets so we have them either in a specific area or outside if the weather is good this makes it a lot easier if accidents occur and also its a good outting for the residents. For the time of year have your hours posted for pet visits and this will soon catch on. Make sure that you are always thanking your volunteers for doing this since this is a great 1-1 and also a intergenerational activity also if children are involved. Hope this helps. Tracey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jolynh 0 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 At our facility we are having problems with our pet days. Can anyone tell me how you do your pet therapy days? The residents love the pets, especially the dogs...but it's getting to the point where the administrator wants to get rid of pet day. Can you please help, we need some ideas! Thanks! Hi I am new here. I'm sorry that you are having problems with your pet visits. We are an Eden Facility and we currently have two pets in our home full time. A cat and dog. The dog as been the biggest success. All of the residents wanted her but some of them wanted her to live outside. She lives inside and visits almost every resident daily, they all love her company. I know this doesnt help you but animals are so good for our Elders I hope your administrator will hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigchris 1 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 Also, depending on where you live. There are many pet therapy groups that will come in and visit. I have (in the past) had staff members let thier pets into the facility after a "certification" process. Since there are no hard and fast rules on certification, it may be a good idea to contact your local humane society or the Delta Society. BC Hi I am new here. I'm sorry that you are having problems with your pet visits. We are an Eden Facility and we currently have two pets in our home full time. A cat and dog. The dog as been the biggest success. All of the residents wanted her but some of them wanted her to live outside. She lives inside and visits almost every resident daily, they all love her company. I know this doesnt help you but animals are so good for our Elders I hope your administrator will hang in there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themusiclady 1 Report Share Posted June 11, 2009 I too think it works better to have full-time pets ( cats, dogs, birds, rabbits for example ) living at the facility, their behaviour is more predictable and they are constant companions for the seniors. It's normal life to have animals around, the animal rescue people will probably help you pick some even-tempered pets ( and maybe let you try them out ) if you explain the facility. Animals are instant therapy, I hope your administrator doesn't ban them! Visiting animals are likely to be much more trouble than resident ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kminick 0 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 At our facility we are having problems with our pet days. Can anyone tell me how you do your pet therapy days? The residents love the pets, especially the dogs...but it's getting to the point where the administrator wants to get rid of pet day. Can you please help, we need some ideas! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kminick 0 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 We have several families that bring their animals in to the facility. They come 2 or 3 times a week. They go from floor to floor , spending time with as many residents as they can. Of course they have to supply an up to date record of the pets shots and immunizations. Families have brought in dogs, cats, and rabbits. The residents really enjoy them. It makes them very happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue 0 Report Share Posted June 14, 2009 I'm not quite sure what you mean by Pet Days or what the problem is with them. If your administrator is upset, however, I'm guessing that there is some upset with the pets. Perhaps you have too many at once. For an administrator who is upset with pets, point to resources that show the positive effect of pets, like the folks who posted about the Eden Alternative. And consider, having fewer pets at once. I have had a lot of success focussing pet visits as 1:1 visits. I like to take a day to visit my folks who like pets. I have not had much issue with having volunteers with pet therapy dogs visit, which may reassure your administrator. They are usually insured by the Pet Therapy organization. It's important to have a list of people to visit and more important to have a list of people NOT to visit who are afraid of dogs. Dogs should be on a leash or in a closed off room for a short period with residents who like animals. You should have a written pet policy that states that only animals who are friendly and not disruptive should enter. You should have a copy of the pets current vacinations as well. I hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yunakitty 2 Report Share Posted June 15, 2009 (edited) We are also in the process of culture change (thought we were already a Person-centered care facility, now we're just working toward it correctly) and I adopted two cats this past week to live on the Memory care unit. I talked to the residents and most of the staff beforehand and they were fine with it - so the cats moved in, and the residents love them - except this one lady who suddenly says she's allergic, and the 3-11 PCA also claims to be allergic and made me shut them up in an empty room (with food, water, and litterbox, of course.) I left a note for the 11-7 PCA to take them out, but when I got here at 8am, they were still locked up...argh... We are trying to work through this for the sake of the residents... Any advice? The things is, I don't think these people are really allergic. I don't see any sneezing, watery eyes, etc. My husband is horribly allergic to cats and you know right away - he gets a kind of red rash on his neck, his eyes and nose run, and he sneezes and coughs constantly. I'm mildly allergic, but taking Claritin year round for my pollen allergies seems to eliminate most of the problem. Not seeing any symptoms in these people. I just feel like they're claiming that because they don't want to have to deal with them or are afraid - which is ridiculous because they are the sweetest, calmest cats I've ever seen, and I don't ask anything of other staff - I have been checking the litterbox 5-6 times a day and cleaning it, I manage their food and water, I brush them...all they have to do is make sure they don't step on them...the cats don't even approach people they can tell aren't interested. People just want to be a problem sometimes... Edited June 15, 2009 by yunakitty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lkelley 0 Report Share Posted June 20, 2009 The facility I work at has a dog that lives on site and most of the residents enjoy visiting with him. The dog has learned who wants to visit and who does not. I would like to see our facility adopt other animals in addition to the dog. I think having the pets on site allows the residents to bond with them and participate in their care. Pets encourage the residents to come out of their rooms and interact. They can be given very small tasks to help with the animals care, for example, brushing, petting, or assisting with feeding. I would like to see a variety of pets added to our facility, an aquarium for fish, a bird and a cat would be nice. Having the pets on site help the residents feel like the pets belong to them, they are not just visiting. Residents who owned a pet prior to moving to the facility are encouraged to have a family member bring the animal for visits as often as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kayla 0 Report Share Posted June 22, 2009 we now have a facility cat, which is working out great. however, before this, we would have pet days. i would have to set aside everything and make sure the dog was taken care of. you couldn't let it out of your site. it was our dietary manager's dog and was very sweet. if they animal you are having come in right now isn't working, try to find another. some pets just aren't meant to come into a nursing home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeanaG73 1 Report Share Posted June 25, 2009 We are a continuation of care facility.... In our Assisted Living unit we have residents who have their own pets as well as a pair of Budgees that live in an open access area. In our Special Care/Dementia Unit the Director and the Activity Assistant both have dogs (mini dachshunds) that they bring to work daily, they are allowed free run of the Unit. Special care also has a 55 gallon aquarium that the residents spend much time viewing. I work on Skilled and have 2 dogs (also mini dachshunds) that I take to work with me daily. My dogs are not allowed free run of the Unit. I keep them in my Activity area, closing the doors sometimes to let them run free in the Activity Room. They also have a "fence" that I can put them in to confine them when needed. I purchased a garden wagon and pull them around the Unit for 1:1 visits etc. I currently have a 10 gallon fish tank but this weekend will be getting a 55 gallon tank for Skilled. Our DON is severly allergic to cats therefore they are not allowed in the building. Hope that's helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanga2647 0 Report Share Posted July 11, 2009 We have both structured and unstructured pet times in our facility. I bring in my own animals (cats) once per week for a few hours and go room to room with them (when I do my initial assessment, one of the questions I ask is if they are ok with pet visits). We also encourage families to bring in the family pet if they are ok with that - some do, some don't. Also, one day per week we have a Hospice volunteer who comes in with her dog to do visits with residents. We also have two cats who actually live in our facility, so we have built-in pet visits with them. Overall, it has been a great experience - the residents really seem to enjoy the time with the animals. Many of our folks are not in good enough health to be able to care for their own animals any more, so they really enjoy seeing them while they are here. Just out of curiosity - what is the issue that you have been having with them and why does your Administrator want to discontinue it? Maybe we can brainstorm and idea.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eileen 0 Report Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hi all, We have pet therapy that is part of our activity schedule. We have a gentleman come in with two dogs and he goes to every room and visits with the Residents. He takes pictures with them and sends them cards at all holidays. The residents do love it when they come in. We also have 3 cats that come and visit. The woman in the office goes out to feed and water them. The residents can go out and see them. They are around all the time. It is great to see their face light up when they see an animal or a child come in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aza9 0 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 I am a firm advocate of pet therapy. We have no pets, but do have a huge fish tank. The fish tank is great, the reisdents feed them daily and keep track of how many new baby fish. However the fish tank was a happy medium, the nursing staff wanted a rabbit, the residents wanted a cat and somehow we came out of the deal with fish . The converstaion has came back up about getting a cat and having dogs visit more routinely. Currenlty we have a "Pet Afternoon" once every other month, our adminstrator have us to everything in our courtyard area, during the summer months. We have food and make an afternoon party of it. By makeing a party of it the staff tends to get more involved and help more too. It works good, but there is much room for improvement. Not sure if that helps any, but its an idea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoanneA1 0 Report Share Posted August 9, 2009 Hi, I have the animal league from our area that come in 1X a month on a set schedule. I gather the residents that are interested and the dogs come in a socialize with the residents. I usually have treats for the residents to give to them. The residents come and go as they please. The dogs stay for about 45 minutes. The shot record is on file for each pet that comes in. There are usually 8 or so that visit. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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