Grace Visiting Care Center
May 27, 2020
Bluegrass Care Navigators in Hazard has a new member on their team, a therapy dog named Grace.
Grace is a part of their integrative medicine program which includes art, music, and massage therapy.
She is one year old and just finished nine months of training.
Grace will be visiting patients at the Greg and Noreen Wills Hospice Care Center as well as other nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Studies have shown petting dogs and other animals reduce stress, anxiety and pain.
She has only been at the center a few weeks, but they are already seeing the help she provides.
“It was really beneficial to the patient and the family. They were so excited and you could just feel I heard staff saying you could just feel the atmosphere change and that everybody seemed to be more comfortable more relaxed and she just brightened the day,” said Monica Couch, the associate vice president of EKY operations.
Bluegrass Care Navigators will be looking for volunteers who will be trained to handle Grace. They will take her to visits and play with her.
Most Recent News
Former Victoria man’s diabetic alert dog helps him get back to life
When Luke Hengen’s diabetes worsened in his early twenties, it stripped him of the outdoor activities where the country kid felt at home. Countless wilderness adventures and years of hard-fought football games took a toll on his body, to the point where he could no longer sense when his blood sugar was too high or […]
Students Get Therapy Dog
When middle school students return to class on Jan. 11, they’ll find a new face at the door: Daisy. Daisy is a therapy dog and the personal pet of Rob Kreger, principal of the Rock L. Butler Middle School. The five-year-old golden retriever is not a school pet or mascot, but rather a working dog […]
Therapy Dogtor
Last March, Caroline Benzel, a third-year medical student, began to notice the stress and discomfort her nurse friends were feeling from the pressures of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. “[Personal protective equipment] can be really rough on the skin,” Benzel, 31, tells PEOPLE. Benzel and her 3-year-old Rottweiler, Loki (who’s also a therapy dog) hatched a […]
Therapy Dog Pups
When Stanley the miniature fox terrier’s owner passed away, the little dog started a ‘paw-some’ new role – bringing puppy love to some of the Gold Coast’s oldest residents. After Carinity Cedarbrook Diversional Therapist Julianne Staff adopted Stanley, he began visiting the aged care community at Mudgeeraba as a therapy dog. Therapy dogs help to […]
Puppy Cams
A nonprofit is providing an unusual form of therapy for those on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic – puppy cams! “You spend five minutes with a puppy and try not to smile,” said registered nurse Robin Lingg Lagrone. Lingg Lagrone says watching little furballs wag their tails and prance on their paws helps […]
Pet Committee
When Moore County’s school doors were abruptly closed earlier in 2020, two- and four-legged volunteers from the Moore County Citizens’ Pet Responsibility Committee (PRC) were in their 12th year of presenting a six-session Pet Responsibility Education Program for fourth-graders. The PRC quickly shifted gears and placed its program materials online as part of a home […]