Furry Friends Help Kids Feel Better Once a week, the Pediatric Unit of Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children receives a special visitor. He goes from room to room, lighting up faces and lifting spirits. Jazz is a 33-pound wheaten terrier who knows exactly how to brighten a young patient’s day. He and his owner, Cherie Orcutt, are part of the Therapy Partners, Inc. program. Millie, an all-white blue heeler mix, and her owner, Deanna Bayliss, also enjoy visits with the children. “It’s amazing,” says Beth Daniel, Child Life Coordinator, M.Ed., C.C.L.S. “It normalizes the hospital environment for many patients who have pets at home and miss them.” Ms. Daniel says other benefits include reduced stress levels that help lower blood pressure and a decrease in the use of pain medication for patients who are visited by the dogs. Ms. Daniel tells the story of a 3-year-old boy who was afraid of the Video EEG room and was crying because of the electrodes being placed on his head. Abbey, a 14-pound cavalier King Charles spaniel who likes to snuggle into bed with patients, and her owner, Mimi Bynum, overheard the commotion and came to help. Within
a few minutes of visiting with Abbey, the boy was quiet and calm, sailing through the procedure. Therapy Partners even visit the pediatric ICU. One child who had not moved an arm in weeks was so happy to see his furry visitor that he reached out to pet the dog. Child Life, the department that plans all of the patient/dog visits, obtains prior permission from the patients and their families to make sure the child isn’t allergic to or afraid of animals. And patients must be at least 3 years old. “Nobody would believe it if you said you saw a dog in the hospital,” Ms. Daniel says. To verify the stories, a staff member takes a Polaroid picture of each patient with the special visitor. While some hospitals and health care facilities plan group visits with patients and animals, Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children Pediatrics prefers to give patients one-on-one time with the dogs. These extensively and specially trained animals are certified by the Delta Society, an international, non-profit organization that unites people who have mental and physical disabilities and patients in health care facilities with the animals to help improve their health.
Pictured with Jazz, left to right, are: Michelle Cooper, M.S., C.C.L.S.; his owner Cherie Orcutt and Melissa Lawson, C.C.L.S.
Make Safety Your Holiday Guest Simple precautions can head off problems Don’t let preventable injuries put a damper on the holidays. “It’s a time when people are busy and supervision of children is more difficult,” says Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children pediatrician Pippa Abston, M.D., Ph.D. To give the gift of safety: If you have a Christmas tree, buy a fresh one. It should have sticky resin at the bottom and needles that bend instead of breaking. Keep trees away from fireplaces. Keep stands filled with water so needles don’t become
brittle and fire-prone. When buying an artificial tree, look for the label “fire resistant.” Decorate with care. “Take time to reassess the ornaments that are on your tree or that are put throughout the home,” says Dr. Abston. If you have small children, avoid glass ornaments, decorations with small removable parts that kids could swallow, or ornaments that look like candy. Use caution with candles. “Realistically, with young children it may be better not to use candles at all,” Dr. Abston says. If you do, put them where they can’t be knocked over or ignite trees, decorations, wrapping paper, clothing or curtains. “And never, ever leave a child alone with lit candles or go to bed with them still lit.”
Inspect holiday lights. “Check to make sure the wires are not frayed or broken and make sure not to overload the cords by plugging too many into one outlet, which can cause an electrical fire,” says Dr. Abston. If the cord is hot when in use, it isn’t safe. If you have a fireplace, add a sturdy screen. That helps prevent sparks from igniting newspapers, carpeting, curtains or upholstery. Keep fresh batteries in smoke detectors. You should have one on every level of the home, especially outside bedrooms. Develop an evacuation plan and make sure everyone knows it, including guests. continued on page 2
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