AHA Nation of Lifesavers: Damar Hamlin

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When Scott Vande Zande had a serious stroke 15 years ago, his beloved golden retriever Hollie was key to his recovery.  “I had to learn to speak again, but there were times I couldn’t  talk,” said the Seattle engineer. “I’d come home, and I was so  depressed. Then, I’d see Hollie, and it took a lot of the grief away.  She was just a godsend.”

After he retired from Boeing in 2015, Vande Zande wanted to share his  gift. So, he got Hollie certified as a pet therapy dog and went back to  the hospital stroke unit to help others.  “I brought her in and everybody fell in love with her,” Vande Zande  said. “She had lost a leg to sarcoma (a type of cancer), but she was so  special. I wanted to go talk to people who were going through what I  went through. But first Hollie broke the ice.”

Hollie, who was named a Stroke Hero by the American Stroke Association,  died in late 2016 at 13 ½. Now Vande Zande takes Katie, another golden  retriever, on his rounds at Swedish Medical Center’s Cherry Hill campus,  where she dispenses unconditional love and collects hugs and belly  scratches in return.

Like thousands of other pets across the country – mainly dogs, but  also cats, rabbits, birds and other animals – Katie is a not-so-secret  weapon in helping patients recover, physically and psychologically, from  their ailments.

“Lots of research shows how much the animal-human bond benefits both  of us,” said Dr. David Williams, chief medical officer for Pet Partners,  which trains volunteers and coordinates animal-assisted therapy in 47  states. “We see it in practice every day.”

The idea isn’t new. Reports of animals comforting humans date back  centuries. In 1859, the famed nurse Florence Nightingale wrote, “A small  pet animal is often an excellent companion for the sick.” Sigmund Freud  reported that patients were more willing to talk when his dog Jo-Fi sat  in on psychotherapy sessions.

Williams said research on animal-assisted therapy began in the 1960s,  and has shown benefits ranging from lowering blood pressure, heart  rates and pain levels to releasing hormones that ease depression and  promote an overall sense of well-being.

“A lot has been soft research, looking at causal relationships,” said  Williams, who is an emergency room physician. “We still need more, true  academic-level studies looking at how AAT can benefit us at the  biochemical level. Those are really just beginning now.”

Meanwhile, the practice is spreading. The American Kennel Club lists dozens of therapy dog certification groups on its website. Pet Partners, one of the organizations listed, says it  has more than 10,000 volunteers and is signing on new institutions all  the time.

Lovable pets raise spirits in schools, nursing homes, airports and  hospices; help autistic children connect to their surroundings; lower  stress in college students facing final exams; and help veterans cope  with post-traumatic stress disorder.

“It’s miraculous,” said Rabbi Jodie Futornick, staff chaplain at  Swedish Medical Center, who sees Katie and other pets in action. “I see  people calm visibly when a dog comes in. I’ve seen people respond  verbally and nonverbally when they hadn’t been responding before.”  The impact, she said, isn’t just on the patients.

“If I’m having a bad day, all I need to see is Scott and Katie  walking down the hall,” the chaplain said. “She’s so sweet and friendly.  Nurses and doctors and the whole staff take great delight in being able  to pet a dog in the middle of their day.”

Vande Zande is certain the feeling is mutual.  “Every time we go to the hospital she doesn’t want to go home,” he said. “I have to pull on the leash to get her out the door.”

Not just any dog can stroll down a hospital corridor. Pet Partners’  certification program includes a seminar for the human and an audition  for the animal.

“The dog has to have the rudimentary ability to sit and stay and  follow commands,” Williams said. “Once you feel you and your dog are  ready, it’s a two-hour test. They make sure you have good control of the  dog and the dog has a good temperament. They have people act like  patients, and the dog can’t be startled or scared of the process. It  does exclude a lot of dogs.”

So far, it has excluded Ginger, the loving-but-rambunctious golden retriever Vande Zande hopes will succeed Katie someday.  “She’s failed twice,” he admitted. “We’re working on it, but right now she just wants to be a puppy.  “But she’s a great dog, and I’m still hopeful.”

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 April 27th, 2018|Health, Healthy Living, Patients|Comments Off on Pets, the not-so-secret weapon to help patients recover from what ails them