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Baycrest Matters
A bi-weekly update for baycrest staff, students, and families
January 13 2010
Furry Friends are valuable visitors

Baycrest Matters Each Friday morning, Apotex Centre, Jewish Home for the Aged resident Sarah Martin has a special visit with her four-legged friend, Gilmore. A beautiful golden retriever, Gilmore is one of several pet therapy dogs at Baycrest who regularly visits clients in the Apotex, Baycrest Hospital and the Community Day Centre for Seniors. Pets at Baycrest are nothing new – for years, volunteers and family members would bring in their dogs to visit clients and cats, birds and fish can be found in both public places and on care units. Since 2007, a more formal pet therapy program, coordinated through Therapeutic Recreation and Volunteer Services, has been in place for dog visitors and their handlers. Sarah sits in a chair so she can get close to Gilmore to pat him and offer him treats. Her face lights up as she gently speaks to him. Throughout the visit, Sarah has Gilmore’s undivided attention. Gilmore’s owner Dr. Ian Finkelstein, a chronic pain management specialist, enjoys sharing his dog’s calming affect with others. Dr. Finkelstein takes a multidisciplinary approach in his own medical practice, which includes pet therapy. He started bringing Gilmore to his clinic and saw the positive changes in his patients – their mood would be elevated, while their blood pressure and pain scale scores would decrease. “We knew Gilmore would be a perfect pet visitor for Baycrest, which has always been a significant place for our family,” says Dr. Finkelstein. “When I put on the pink (volunteer) tag, Gilmore knows where we are going.” Therapy dogs at Baycrest are assessed by Therapeutic Paws of Canada to ensure that they would be appropriate for this environment. The dogs go through 12 different modules to demonstrate they can remain in control in a variety of situations including: exposure to sudden noises; moving wheelchairs and walkers; people of all ages and group sizes; and getting along with other dogs. They also need to calm down quickly after getting excited. Therapeutic Paws also teaches the handlers signs of fatigue in their dog and to recognize when they had enough for one session. Dogs will visit with clients individually or with small groups for about an hour. Volunteer coordinator , who used to bring her own dog Maxi to Baycrest, is thrilled with the success of the program and notes that the demand for dog visitors is high. “For clients like Sarah, the reaction to Gilmore is obvious, but for some non-communicative clients, the effect of a pet visitor is more subtle. The dog will bring them out in some way, bring a smile to their face, or they will want to interact with the dog,” she says. “The dogs bring joy to the environment and even make the staff feel happier – which ultimately leads to better client care.” If you or your family member would like a visit from one of Baycrest’s therapeutic dogs, please speak to your therapeutic recreationist. If you would like your dog to visit clients at Baycrest, please contact Janis Sternhill at 416-785-2500 ext. 2575. All dogs need to be certified by Therapeutic Paws or a similar organization. BM

Gilmore