The following are volunteer opportunities:
1- Mealtime Assistance Volunteers (feeding of residents) needed for weekend mealtime shifts. The Golden Spoons Training Course is required.
2- Meal time host at the Rising Sun. Various days and shifts available. No feeding required.
3- Pet therapy volunteers needed to visit with residents at the Rising Sun. Various times and days available.
Please contact Volunteer Resources at 403-933-6564 or email Robin at robin.carnegie@ahs.ca
The following is an article out of New Zealand on the use of pet therapy with Alzheimer patients.
Alzheimer’s Pet Therapy a Success
Stroking a dog’s soft ear transports Fay King-Turner from the locked dementia ward at Princess Margaret Hospital to her childhood on a farm. King-Turner is one of 20 patients at the hospital’s K1 ward, a dementia and delirium unit, where a pet therapy trial is under way…. > full story
Alzheimer’s Australia Research Officer, Michele Hawkins comments: A pet therapy trial for Alzheimer’s patients is under way at Princess Margaret Hospital in Christchurch, N.Z. Twenty patients in the hospital’s dementia and delirium ward are receiving weekly visits from either Kendra, a golden retriever, or Le Roy, a border collie. The pet therapy is part of a broader people-centred approach to the care of folk with dementia. Laura Haslam, occupational therapist at Princess Margaret, said that pet therapy was a recognized intervention for people with dementia and that normal, everyday activities are beneficial in helping carers to better understand those they are caring for who have dementia. The trial is due to finish this month, but Laura Haslam is hoping that the initiative will be made permanent.
Humans and dogs have enjoyed close and enriching relationships for thousands of years. The “pets as therapy” trial at Princess Margaret Hospital is a very positive initiative, and having regular visits from gentle, friendly dogs may well do much good.