Animal Assisted Therapy Brings Joy and Hope to Senior Residents
By Sharon Meaney

Verna opens her fridge, then closes it again. Forgetting why she was there, Verna sighs and sits back down. Dementia and aging is taking its toll on her spirit.

And then Brodie shows up. Even if each time seems like the first time she's ever met him, Brodie brings her a smile to Verna's face. Brodie isn't a family member. Nor a friend, per se. Brodie is a dog.

Calvary's Pet-Assisted Therapy ministry brings much joy to the elderly residents of The Terraces senior center. These animals have a powerful effect.

"As Brodie sat in Verna's lap, she went from silent and sad, to smiling and making a cooing noise as she pet him," says Nicole Bendemire, a certified Physician's Assistant who started the ministry about three months ago. "Our goal is to bring companionship and joy to each resident and to share the Bible and God’s love for them."

Currently, eleven volunteers and a "staff" of ten dogs visit Terraces' residents on a weekly basis. Nicole hopes to expand the ministry to other facilities as people and pets step forward to volunteer. The dogs capture people's hearts and lives, often opening the door for scripture and prayer at the end of each visit.

Before he moved to the Terraces, Fred's best friend was his chihuahua, Chalupa. Although he had owned Chalupa since thee chihuahua was a puppy, Fred had to give him away as his health declined.

"He showed me a photo of his dog and began to weep at how much he misses her," Nicole shares. "Having the dogs come to visit him makes his life better, and the loss of his pet a little easier to bear."

Volunteers and their dogs go room to room to visit the residents one-on-one. "We share our pet with them and visit with them first.Then we hand them a card with a weekly verse. We read the verse to the resident (sometimes they enjoy reading it out loud themselves).  Sometimes this leads to conversation, which we welcome.  Before we leave we ask if we can pray for them and if they have any prayer requests."

The dogs allow volunteers to make connections and share God's love. "Even those that say they have no faith are willing to listen to the verse and connect with us in their own way.  It is exciting to see progress in only a few visits: one man pulled out and dusted off an old Bible and said the verse intrigued him- the little he had read before didn’t keep his interest but now he was going to start reading from the New Testament."

The third time Nicole visited Verna, she watched as Verna light up when she saw Brodie . "She came to life once Brodie was in her lap.  This time she seemed more intent as I read her the verse.  I asked if she would like me to pray for her and she exclaimed 'Yes!'  then gave me a big hug.  She cried as I prayed but seemed to be more peaceful than I had ever seen her before."

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