Hospital Lets Pets Visit Their Sick Humans To Make Them Feel Better
Juravinski hospital in Ontario, Canada allows pets to visit their seriously ill humans. The hospital adopted a program called Zachary’s Paws for Healing, launched by Donna Jenkins. She was inspired by her 25-year-old nephew, Zachary, who benefited greatly from having his dogs around him while he was battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“While Zachary was in the hospital for many weeks and very sick after having a stem cell transplant, he begged to see his dog, Chase,” Jenkins told Bored Panda. “We sneaked Chase into ICU to see him and the effect it had on Zachary was remarkable. When Zachary realized he was not going to survive his cancer, he made me promise to start the organization. We had our official first patient visit September 15, 2015.
“We know that when patients get to see their pet, it can improve vital signs, improve depression and the feeling of isolation, it opens communication back up and it is a reminder for a reason for the patient to get well and return home.” The visits are weekly and they usually take 1 hour. The pets are thoroughly cleaned before entering the hospital and they are kept away from other patients.
More info: zacharyspawsforhealing.com | Facebook
Juravinski hospital in Ontario, Canada allows pets to visit their seriously ill humans
The hospital adopted a program called Zachary’s Paws for Healing, launched by Donna Jenkins
“When patients get to see their pet, it can improve vital signs, improve depression and the feeling of isolation,” Jenkins told Bored Panda
“It opens communication back up and it is a reminder for a reason for the patient to get well and return home”
“Having a pet visit its human brings some normalcy back to the patient’s life”
“It takes their mind off the hospital and being sick for a bit”
“The pet can visit for an hour and can come once a week”
“Of course, no one is keeping strict time. A good visit is what counts”
“The pets are relieved to see them and to know they have not lost their human companion”
Watch the video here:
Thank you, Donna Jenkins, for talking to Bored Panda about your wonderful program!
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It happened to me, I didn't care enough to try and get better until they let my dog in, then I remembered why I had to.
When my grandmother got west nile a few years ago the recovery home she was in actually recommend bring her fur baby in to see her. She woke up for the first time in weeks coherent i truly believe it was because she knew her fur baby was there.
This is the greatest idea ever. Medicine needs to treat the whole person, not just the illness.
More hospitals should do this. When my husband was in a 24-hour care facility, dying from terminal brain cancer, visits from his special kitty were better for him than any medication.
I took a pet Budgie i had to visit my mum who had brain cancer, as soon as the bird saw my mum he started to sing it took awhile before my mum remembered him but as soon as she did she had tears. I then waited in reception for awhile with my bird so other patients could come and see him and talk to him The nurses in the nursing home said all i had to do was make sure he was in his cage and the cage was clean
Only one of these pictures is on the Zachary's Paws website, and since there are no photo credits I wonder if some of them came from somewhere else. I'm asking because one of them looks exactly like my mother, who passed away last year. Is it possible to find out which hospitals the pictures came from?
This is a wonderful program. I was allowed to have my little Chihuahua, Joy, visit me when I was in Rehab both times. I was elated and she jumped into my arms on the bed and stayed with me the whole time. She was licking my face and whining with so much happiness for her!
saying Ontario, Canada is like saying California, USA - according to Google this hospital is in the city of Hamilton - a few seconds of fact checking wouldn't hurt you guys!
agreed it would have been nice to mention that this was actually Hamilton Ontario Canada, especially since I live there
Load More Replies... It happened to me, I didn't care enough to try and get better until they let my dog in, then I remembered why I had to.
When my grandmother got west nile a few years ago the recovery home she was in actually recommend bring her fur baby in to see her. She woke up for the first time in weeks coherent i truly believe it was because she knew her fur baby was there.
This is the greatest idea ever. Medicine needs to treat the whole person, not just the illness.
More hospitals should do this. When my husband was in a 24-hour care facility, dying from terminal brain cancer, visits from his special kitty were better for him than any medication.
I took a pet Budgie i had to visit my mum who had brain cancer, as soon as the bird saw my mum he started to sing it took awhile before my mum remembered him but as soon as she did she had tears. I then waited in reception for awhile with my bird so other patients could come and see him and talk to him The nurses in the nursing home said all i had to do was make sure he was in his cage and the cage was clean
Only one of these pictures is on the Zachary's Paws website, and since there are no photo credits I wonder if some of them came from somewhere else. I'm asking because one of them looks exactly like my mother, who passed away last year. Is it possible to find out which hospitals the pictures came from?
This is a wonderful program. I was allowed to have my little Chihuahua, Joy, visit me when I was in Rehab both times. I was elated and she jumped into my arms on the bed and stayed with me the whole time. She was licking my face and whining with so much happiness for her!
saying Ontario, Canada is like saying California, USA - according to Google this hospital is in the city of Hamilton - a few seconds of fact checking wouldn't hurt you guys!
agreed it would have been nice to mention that this was actually Hamilton Ontario Canada, especially since I live there
Load More Replies...
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