PAWS visiting Sites PAWS for Elders Assisted Living Assisted living means that people are in pretty good shape both physically and mentally but need some assistance when it comes to things like laundry, cleaning, and making meals. AL folks are relatively hearty and can take a more energetic dog. They also often have lunch dates or are out of the building, so their lives are relatively full. They tend to go into their rooms after meals and watch TV or read. If their doors are shut, you can feel confident about knocking and asking if they'd like a visit. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Abbey Manor Barclay Friends Bright View - Woodbury Lake Gardens of White Chapel Granite Farms Estates Heritage of Dover Highfield Masonic Home of Delaware Jenner’s Pond – Ruston Little Sisters of the Poor Luther Towers I Luther Towers II Methodist Country House Millcroft Singerly Manor Somerford House Sunrise of Wilmington
Alzheimer’s Alzheimer's disease is a disease of the brain causing memory loss. Most ALZ residents are in reasonably decent physical shape but their minds are failing. They must be confined (locked down) so they don't stray away, and are usually kept together in common areas for socialization and stimulation. Pet visits often reach ALZ patients then people cannot. The magic of the pet-human connection is most evident in this type of visit. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Bright View - Woodbury Lake Elwyn Senior Reflections – Wilmington Foulk Manor North Foulk Manor South Jenner's Pond Somerford Place Sunrise of Wilmington
Skilled care Patients residing in skilled care facilities are in need of serious medical care on a regular basis. Much like a hospital setting, a skilled care facility presents a pet therapy team with challenges of visiting people in their beds, the noises of ventilators, lots of wheelchairs, and nursing staff on call 24 hours a day. Therapy teams are needed in such places to help people stave off boredom, brighten their days, and give them some comfort and maybe a little escape for the daily issues of their illness. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Arbors of New Castle Cadia Rehabilitation - Broadmeadow Cokesbury Village Emily P. Bissell Hospital Jenner’s Pond - Preston Residence Millcroft Oblates of St. Francis de Sales Wilmington VA Hospital
Adult Day care Adult day care is a program for older adults that need a place to be during the day, while they return to their families or caretakers in the evening. Day care services include stimulating programs and crafts. Our therapy animals make a great addition to the services offered. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Union Hospital Adult Day Services – Elkton, MD
Hospice Working in partnership with both Willow Tree Hospice and Compassionate Care Hospice, PAWS provides the pet therapy training and coordination, while the hospices provide interested volunteers and the scheduling of visits. Our agreement with Heartland Hospice, however, is more typical of PAWS arrangements: our trained teams decide that they want to visit at Heartland, and they then complete Heartland's own orientation and training. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX Sites: Compassionate Care Hospice – Wilmington Compassionate Care - Dover Willow Tree Hospice - Pennsylvania Wilmington VA Hospital
Hospitals Cancer Treatment Both Chemotherapy and radiation are offered at Graham. We can visit anywhere in the building but find that being with new, frightened chemo patients or sitting with those who have returned for more treatments is extremely helpful. Requirements: Advanced level STEX (completion of Christiana Care Volunteer process for Helen F. Graham Cancer Center) Sites: Helen F. Graham Cancer Center – Newark, DE Regional Oncology & Hematology – Elkton, MD
Hospital Visiting Presently, PAWS teams visit eleven units in Christiana Care (Newark), four units in Christiana Care (Wilmington), four units in Union Hospital, Physical Therapy at St. Francis Hospital, and several chemotherapy labs at the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center. Working with children, our teams visit Exceptional Care for Children and the radiation unit at Helen Graham. Requirements: ADVANCED Level STEX and Hospital Volunteer Services application Sites: Christiana Care – Newark Main Lobby 2E - ICU 3A – Antepartum Unit 3D – Pulmonary Stepdown Unit 3E – Medical ICU 4C – Urology 4E – Cardiac/Vascular Unit 5A, 5B, & 5C – Medical/Surgical Unit 5E - Heart Unit 6A – ACE Unit (Acute Care for the Elderly) 6B – Oncology 6C – STAR Unit 6E – Medical Unit Christiana Care – Wilmington Hospital ACE Unit 4E-W Exceptional Care for Children Union Hospital Breast Health Center Med/Surg PCU Pediatrics Psychiatric Wound Care Center
Kent General Hospital
PAWS for Adults with Disabilities Visiting with adults with varying levels of disabilities requires both patience and compassion from the human and a pet that is comfortable in an environment very different from home. Close work with the staff helps a team know how best to work with the participants, most of whom are delighted to be able to pet and play with a therapy companion. Requirements: Basic Level STEX
Drug & Alcohol Treatment Programs Residential treatment centers provide several types of visits for our therapy teams. Sometimes there is unstructured time when the patients can just hang out with our pets and get the love and attention they may be missing; we also are invited to attend group discussion sessions where the presence of a therapy pet can reduce anxiety, provide comfort, and become a reminder that there is hope and a future.entered at Bowling Green in Toughkenamon, PA, our pet therapy program offers addicts and alcoholics in recovery three different types of visits: 1) free-time visits; 2) visits in group discussion sessions; and 3) Sunday family visit time. Our therapy companions offer folks love, comfort, and the stability that many Bowling Green residents need. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Bowling Green Brandywine – Toughkenamon, PA Our pet therapy program offers addicts and alcoholics in recovery three different types of visits: 1) free-time visits; 2) visits in group discussion sessions; and 3) Sunday family visit time. Our therapy companions offer folks love, comfort, and the stability that many Bowling Green residents need.
Adults with mental and physical disabilities Easter Seals Easter Seals cares for adults with developmental disabilities. There are 2 separate programs at this one site - one for folks who are higher functioning - they play computer, dominoes, watch movies, and do crafts. The other section is for folks with more debilitating disabilities - we have been working one on one with several of these folks through the PT program. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Adult Health Day Services Developmental Disabilities Saturday Respite Program
CHIMES Chimes provides individuals with disabilities a network of services to address a lifetime of needs. The Delaware Chimes opens its doors to folks with many levels of abilities and disabilities, all of whom leave the day program to live in group homes. A high ratio of staff-participant makes it easy for our therapy teams to provide the individualized therapeutic visits we are known for. Sites: CHIMES – Newark, DE
CHESAPEAKE CARE RESOURCES Chesapeake Care is a residential program for adults with cognitive disabilities. The pleasant environment at these sites lends itself to a wonderful, caring and patient staff. The North East location houses those with more severe disabilities, while the Lokey Center hosts those at a higher cognitive function. Sites: Lokey Center – Elkton, MD Chesapeake Care Center – North East, MD
PT/OT/Speech Therapy PAWS teams work directly with therapists at a number of different sites to assist in their clients' progress. Besides the love and comfort that our pets give freely, they also provide the motivation for trying some new movements, working longer, and enjoying the activities. This in turn allows the clients to relax while exercising, which helps their muscles work with less strain and tension. Requirements: Basic Level STEX Sites: Christiana Care PT Plus – Newark Christiana Care Rehab Services – Springside Jenner's Pond - Preston
Neurohealth Bancroft's residents have sustained traumatic head injuries which have caused lasting impairments and disabilities. Many of these residents are men in their 20's who have sustained head injuries from motorcycle or car accidents. Requirements: Basic Level STEX, interview with Bancroft staff Sites: Bancroft NeuroHealth, New Jersey
PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES
PAWS’ psychiatric services offer care and compassion for those that are either in a long-term or short-term care setting for mental illnesses. The severity of the illness may vary, but our therapy dogs do not mind – they provide comfort on a level that is very healing for these patients. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX, psychiatric services training with PAWS staff Sites: MeadowWood Behavioral Health – New Castle, DE Rockford Center – Newark, DE
PAWS for Children Autism Initiative Autism is a spectrum disorder that affects children very differently so each child needs to be approached differently. Many children who have autism do not form relationships, are very aware of space around them, may internalize things and repeat words or phrases and not initiate questions or interactions. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX and completed a 6-hour specialized Autism training Sites: Brennan School Brookside Elementary School Claymont Elementary School Gallaher Elementary School Jones Elementary School McClary Elementary School McVey Elementary School P.S. DuPont Middle School
Children with Special Needs Special needs may range from learning differences that make it impossible for a child to succeed in a public school environment to physical disabilities that keep a child from functionally successfully in a public school setting. The children we visit in this category range in age from 6 months to 21. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX Sites: Exceptional Care for Children Nurses ‘N Kids Sterck School/Delaware School for the Deaf
Early Learning Center Mobility Project PAWS teams have been working with the preschoolers at the Early Learning Center in Newark, Delaware since the fall of 2008. In the spring of 2009, however, we have added work with Cole Galloway's Mobility Project, which utilizes our therapy companions' skills in working with children who are not independently mobile. Working one-on-one with Physical Therapist Tracy Stoner and a child, our teams provide motivation for extended movement, distraction from difficult exercises, and fun for the children who are working so hard to learn to walk or use their motorized devices. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX and a PAWS recommendation Sites: Early Learning Center – Newark
PAWS for Reading PAWS for Reading is a program that allows children to read aloud to a therapy dog (or cat) in order to improve reading and communication skills. Children read individually to trained therapy pets (and their handlers) in schools, libraries, or other settings where they can feel comfortable and confident -- and have fun! After all, a dog will not correct them or make them feel awkward if they stumble. Requirements: Advanced Level STEX; PAWS for Reading Training Library Sites: Delaware - Bear, Brandywine, Claymont, Kirkwood Highway Newark, New Castle, Woodlawn MD – Cecil College, Perryville NJ – Logan, Mullica Hill, Swedesboro Library PA – Atglen, Bayard Taylor, Media, Parkesburg, Tredyffrin School Sites: Albert Einstein Academy Bainbridge Elementary Eisenberg Elementary Elbert Palmer Elementary Green Field School Highlands Elementary School Kenmore Elementary Linden Hill Elementary Mote Elementary Richey Elementary Southern Elementary St. Anthony of Padua Talley Middle School Tatnall School Wilson Elementary Woodbury Junior High Other Sites: Terry Children’s Psychiatric Center Wayfarer’s House
PAWS BY SPECIAL REQUEST PAWS by Special Request is a service PAWS offers to people who wish to request personalized one-on-one visits for a loved one. People are invited to contact PAWS for this service when they think a visit with a loving PAWS pet and caring PAWS human would be good for someone they care about. Some of the visits we have done within this program are as follows: individual work with children who have autism, spending time with a father on hospice care, sitting with patients receiving chemo-therapy, visiting with a woman with worsening Alzheimer's helping her recall her youth and good times with her dog.
Pet Emergency Response Therapy Teams A brand new program designed in conjunction with DEMA (Delaware Emergency Management Agency), PERTT volunteers will visit with those displaced by a natural disaster (flood, fire, etc.) into a temporary shelter. Our teams will be on call to visit these folks to ease their anxiety while displaced. The teams will need to take a special training class through DEMA and pass their Standards of Excellence testing at the ADVANCED level. PERTT volunteers must also be PAWS members for at least six months prior to participating in this program.
CECIL COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES PAWS has teamed with Cecil County, Maryland’s Department of Social Services to offer specialized pet therapy visitation to the department’s numerous programs. The department works with women and children that have been in abusive situations (sexually or otherwise), as well as in the court system and with foster care children. Any team interested in this program must be PAWS members for at least six months prior to participation, as well as pass STEX at the ADVANCED level and complete a mandatory training session given by PAWS. Sites: Domestic Violence Shelter Family Visitation House Foster Care Visitation – Cecil County Courthouse TREMM Counseling Sessions