Furry Friends Help With Hospice

Animals visitors create lasting connections

It was quite a sight: Tug, a 50-pound mass of brown silky curls, lying in bed next to Ann, a lifelong dog lover who was in her final days. Ann was a patient in Haven Hospice Specialty Care Unit, Visiting Nurse Service of New York's in-patient hospice care facility within Bellevue Hospital Center. Tug, a 2-year-old Barbet (or French Water Dog), is a hospice volunteer who visits patients weekly, with his owner Tracey, for animal-assisted therapy.

A big dog, he usually stays on the floor or on a chair next to the bed, but Ann eagerly invited him onto the bed. "It was wonderful to see them connect," says Tracey, who brings Tug to visit with patients, family members and staff every Tuesday morning. "He's very good company in this situation. He's so in the moment. He has no expectations, he's not looking for anything, and he's a good listener."

This quote, from the Huffington Post blog of Jeanne Dennis, vice president of VNSNY Hospice Care, describes exactly why service animals are so helpful to patients in hospice care. With unconditional love and a physical presence that brings comfort that few other things in this world can, they can work wonders.

Another thing it demonstrates is hospice care's unique combination of services that aim to care for the full range of patient needs, physical, spiritual, and mental. With specific team members dedicated to each aspect, hospice care truly provides the most comfortable situation possible.

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