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Seniors & Pets: A Love Story for the Ages-Is getting a pet right for your older family member?

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You’ve probably heard about the health benefits owning a pet can provide, especially for seniors. From decreased stress to lower blood pressure and cholesterol, to improved socialization and more opportunities for exercise and socializing – the list is so impressive that it’s even been noted by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

If you’re a pet owner, you’re already aware of the love and companionship a pet can provide. It may seem like a pet is a purr-fect solution for an older relative who’s been feeling lonely.

But before you suggest it, think honestly, not just about their willingness and ability to care for an animal, but also their own self-care capabilities. People over 65, and those with weakened immune systems, are more likely to get diseases spread between animals and people, so it’s imperative that they’ll remember to wash their hands after touching, feeding or cleaning up after the pets, and before eating or drinking.

How are their mobility and stability? Can they bend down to feed or clean up after a pet? Pets can increase risk of falling, especially of concern in Wisconsin, where even young and healthy people can be felled by icy sidewalks. A 2018 CDC report named our state as having the nation’s highest rate of deadly falls among the elderly. Some 1,365 residents 65 or older died from falls in 2016, for a rate more than twice as high the national average. That’s more than deaths from breast cancer and prostate cancer combined.

Nationally, a Journal of the American Medical Association study reported that bone fractures among seniors over 65 walking their dogs totaled 4,396 in 2017, more than double those reported in 2004. Inside, too, pets can get underfoot and cause falls.

There can be other hurdles as well. Money Under 30 places the cost of care for a healthy, medium-sized dog or cat is $500/year, not counting the costs in acquiring it. That can be tough on a fixed income – and some seniors will go hungry to make sure their pet eats. And sometimes a lease prohibits pets, or a family member’s allergies rule out keeping a pet.

There are ways, though, to get that love into their life, and it’s worth the extra effort! Perhaps you could suggest:

  • Volunteering at local rescues. In the Milwaukee area, The Wisconsin Humane Society, Secondhand Purrs, Lucky Mutts Rescue, and others all offer various opportunities; check into physical and time commitment requirements.
  • Cat cafes. You can make a reservation at Sip and Purr, a new cat café and lounge, to cuddle adoptable cats in their Cat Lounge ($5/hour). Or just watch them –no charge — through the glass as you snack in the adjoining café.
  • Regular visits with and/or pet-sitting for a well-trained animal that belongs to friend or relative.
  • If finances are the issue, caring for dogs or cats awaiting permanent adoption can be a good fit — many shelters pay for the pet’s vet care and food. Placements generally last a week to three months, and can be tailored to the carer’s needs – for instance, older and more sedate animals as opposed to an energetic puppy.
  • Pet therapy house calls. Groups like the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and Therapy Dogs International bring trained service dogs to nursing homes, hospitals and hospices; some also offer home visits to bring comfort and healing.

 

Another Paws-ability

If you’re considering adult day care for your relative, you can look for one that incorporates pets.

Several comfort doggos spend time with clients at our Stein Campus (and two budgies chirp cheerfully in the atrium for an appreciative audience). Melody, a sociable golden retriever, is a regular in the dementia care unit, soothing anxious clients and cheering others; Sofie, a bearded collie owned by a client’s sister, visits the Northwest Unit weekly to interact. Comical little Spike pops in periodically to charm adult units and childcare classrooms with his Shih Tzu antics. And there’s Gracie, the English golden retriever who makes herself at home daily in the Senior Wellness Unit.

“Just seeing the clients’ face light up when Gracie walks in and greets them is wonderful,” says Debbie Pavlik, lead staffer in Senior Wellness. Even people who aren’t verbal brighten as Gracie nuzzles up and they reach to pet her. Some clients reminisce about dogs they’ve owned over the years, or bring in photos to share.

“Pets understand humans better than humans do,” Indian author Ruchi Prabhu once wrote. It’s worth digging a bit to help someone experience that understanding and unconditional love.

For more information about adult care services at the Stein Campus, 2801 E. Morgan Ave., contact Shannon Schave at (414) 977-5027; to learn more about the Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave., contact Tiffany Payne at (414) 210-2460.

 

Learn more about Pets and Seniors:

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/5-reasons-seniors-should-consider-getting-a-pet-2019-04-03

https://www.aginginplace.org/seniors-and-pets/

https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2018/02/power-pets

https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/health-benefits/index.html

https://www.agingcare.com/articles/benefits-of-elderly-owning-pets-113294.htm

https://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/rethinking-the-value-of-pets/

 

 

 

Hands-On: How Massage Therapy Can Help People with Disabilities

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Adult Care Currents (a St. Ann Center publication)

Do you associate “massage” with stress relief or pro athletes? You’re not wrong! But have you considered massage therapy as a strategy to bring people with disabilities pain relief, better sleep and overall wellness, and to improve their quality of life?

Research continues to grow that MT can be a powerful resource for people dealing with conditions like:

•spinal cord injury
•fibromyalgia
•cerebral palsy
•after-effects of a stroke
•post-op pain
•high blood pressure
•depression or anxiety
•diabetes
•lower back pain
•sleep disorders
•dementia

Relief for an immobile body

Massage can do for an immobile body what it can’t for itself, notes Chanda Hinton Leichtle, who became a quadriplegic at age 9, and as an adult created the Colorado-based Chanda Plan Foundation, a non-profit organization that advocates for integrative therapy such as massage to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs for people with disabilities.

The foundation reports its own data show this approach can reduce pain by a third, and drug use and medical care visits by half. People also report greater independence, the foundation says, because these therapies allow them to function better on their own.

Local Advocates

Closer to home, the vice president of wellness at Milwaukee’s St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care is just as enthusiastic about bringing massage therapy to this often-overlooked population.

“If someone has a spinal cord injury and is unable to feel massage on their lower limbs, massage improves blood circulation and can prevent other medical problems,” says Sandy Anderson, one of three certified massage therapists at St. Ann Center. “I’ve had people tell me after a stroke, ‘Oh, you don’t need to massage my left side, I can’t feel that’ — and I tell them, “just because you can’t feel it doesn’t mean it’s not beneficial.’”

Also, she says, it can help people with severe contracture, such as cerebral palsy can cause, relax briefly before they contract again – and there’s relief in that respite. “Everyone with CP needs massage,” she says.

But people with disabilities can face challenges in finding a therapist experienced in using adaptive techniques– or an accessible location.

The portable headrest unit allows a massage therapist to work on the client’s upper body without having to transfer the client from the wheelchair to the table.

Massage therapy school classes typically cover adaptive techniques on a limited basis, Anderson says; a therapist may accept clients with disabilities only after trying massage on a relative or friend with a disability.

For more than 20 years, St. Ann Center has offered a variety of massage techniques to its adult day clients – frail elders, those with dementia and adults of all ages with cognitive or physical disabilities. But community members of all abilities are welcome to book appointments, too, and Anderson says they are often thrilled to hear the center has elevators and is accessible throughout.

The therapists are prepared with adaptive equipment to meet each individual’s needs: a high-low table, massage chairs, a portable headrest unit, an assortment of beveled foam wedges, stools of various sizes … plus their own ingenuity, experience in adaptive techniques and commitment to care. A client may need to communicate via an alphabet board, have a caregiver remain with them during the massage or be massaged right in their power or manual wheelchair – none of it fazes the team.

It’s worth checking with a healthcare provider to see whether regular massage could be covered as part of an overall treatment plan. Even when it’s not, though, people often find the non-pharmaceutical pain relief and improved quality of life well worth out-of-pocket payment.

Resources
In Milwaukee:
St. Ann Center massage therapists accept weekday appointments, at both campuses, at 2801 E. Morgan Ave. and 2450 W. North Ave., and Saturday morning appointments at the Morgan Avenue location. To learn more about the types of massage and costs, visit StAnnCenter.org/Massage. Or contact Sandy Anderson at (414) 977-5056 or SandyAnderson@stanncenter.org. Prices are comparable to those charged in commercial businesses, but all profits support the care of people most in need at the nonprofit organization.

Spa Massage on the Go massage therapists travel throughout the metropolitan Milwaukee area to provide massage therapy in homes or other locations, accepting Monday-Friday appointments. To learn more, call (844) 216-9068, email unwind@spamassageonthego.com, or visit https://www.spamassageonthego.com/

Learn more about MT for People with Disabilities:

https://iamtheplan.org/ Chanda Plan Foundation

https://www.integrativehealthcare.org/mt/discover-how-massage-benefits-the-disabled/

https://www.massagemag.com/special-needs-massage-therapy-108962/

https://www.amtamassage.org/infocenter/economic_industry-fact-sheet.html

https://www.ucsfhealth.org/treatments/massage

https://www.massagemag.com/special-needs-massage-therapy-108962/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/massage/art-20045743

https://www.massagemag.com/physical-disability-massage-87115/

https://www.newmobility.com/2012/09/massage-and-disability-an-alternative-therapy

Adult Care Currents, published by St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care, focuses on a different topic related to adult care in each issue, and is of special interest to social workers, case managers, special education professionals and others who work in adult care in the Milwaukee area.  Past topics have included the benefits of warm water pools, how to start an intergenerational program, and how to reach clients who have little or no verbal ability.

To have “Adult Care Currents” emailed directly to your inbox at no charge,  email: lgrzybowski@stanncenter.org.

African Ball Fundraiser Kicks Off Black History Month in Style

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St. Ann Center’s first Indaba African Ball was a feast for the eyes, ears and taste buds. Close to 100 people gathered at the Bucyrus Campus on Feb. 1 to help raise funds for the Indaba Band Shell, located at the north side campus, and ensure an upcoming summer of quality entertainment.

Guests arrived in colorful African-inspired garb, from head wraps to robes to dashikis. No one hesitated to show off their eye-catching style during an impromptu fashion show. Setting the evening to music, the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Steel Pan Drum Ensemble filled the building with Calypso rhythms. Saxophonist Chris Pipkins drew guests to the dance floor, and vocalist Robin Adkins impressed with favorites from Nat King Cole.

Hors d’oeuvres from Events by Day combined African and Caribbean flavors, including spicy African chicken wings, jollof rice, sweet plantains and more.

To help kick off Black History Month, the evening also featured the Hall of History Makers, saluting outstanding African-American leaders for their contributions to Milwaukee and beyond. Honorees included: Clayborn Benson, founder and director of the Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum; Lisa Caesar, chief operating officer of NO Studios, Milwaukee’s new film and creative arts hub; G. Spencer Coggs, Milwaukee City Treasurer; Cecilia Gore, Executive Director of the Brewers Community Foundation; Dr. Eve Hall, President/CEO of the Milwaukee Urban League; Lynda J. Jackson Conyers, publisher of the Milwaukee Times Newspaper; Eugene Kane, an award-winning journalist and former columnist for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; Carole Meekins, a reporter and news anchor at Today’s TMJ4 and host of “Positively Milwaukee;” John Ridley, a celebrated screenwriter, film director, novelist and winner of an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “12 Years a Slave;” Thelma A. Sias, retired Wisconsin Energy Group executive and professional speaker and Gaulien “Gee” Smith, owner of Gee’s Clippers Barber and Beauty Salon, one of the largest barbershops in the Midwest.

Funds raised at the ball will help pay entertainers performing in the Indaba Band Shell’s free summer concert series, Indaba Nights, beginning in June. The 250-capacity band shell is wheelchair accessible both in the audience and on stage. There’s a covered seating area in front and also a grassy hillside where people can set up lawn chairs and spread out blankets. The Band Shell officially opened last June, and since then has welcomed gospel choirs and several performers from the United Performing Arts Fund. St. Ann Center is a partner with UPAF Connect, which works to bring the arts to Greater Milwaukee communities.

For information on future performances, visit: facebook.com/indababandshell.

Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. Celebrated at St. Ann Center

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Martin Luther King Jr. was wished a happy 91st birthday at both St. Ann Center campuses on the holiday celebrating the life and legacy of the esteemed civil rights leader.

At the Bucyrus Campus, saxophonist and singer Bobby Jiles played and sang some of Dr. King’s favorite songs including “Oh Happy Day,” “Precious Lord Take My Hand” and “Just Stand.” The adult clients took turns at the mic, reading poems with themes of human dignity, equality and strength in unity.

The Stein Campus tribute included remarks about non-violence from Rodican Rose, director of Pastoral Care, and observations about Dr. King from some of the adult clients, including facts about the man who helped unite a divided nation. Even the 2-year-old Butterflies got in on the celebration, helping create a special wall display in Dr. King’s honor.

Among the readings, was this poem by Michael Salinger:

Martin Luther King had an American Dream.

Black and white folks on the same team.

Not separate but equal —rather instead

Together—a nation with freedom widespread.

With tolerance for all races and creeds

His speeches and marches planted the seeds

For a movement calling for civil rights

Advocating through nonviolent fights

Against injustice wherever it streamed.

Martin Luther King had an American dream.

Cash In on St. Ann Center’s Referral Program

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Your referral is our best compliment!

Refer your friends, family members, neighbors or anyone else to St. Ann Center and receive a $50 referral bonus.

You can earn a $50 check for every child or adult you refer who:

  • enrolls in and attends our child care or adult day program at least three days a week for one month
  • enrolls in and stays in our overnight respite for a minimum of five days in a month

Program Rules:

  • The bonus program applies only to referrals made after Jan. 1, 2020
  • The referred guardian, parent or caregiver must provide St. Ann Center with your name and valid email address at time of enrollment
  • Referral payments will be made for the first ten qualified referrals for a maximum total of $500 in a calendar year*
  • You will receive the bonus check four to six weeks after the referred person has completed the required attendance period or number of respite stays
  • For tax reporting, a 1099 will be issued at year-end for the year in which the bonus is given
  • Other conditions and exemptions may apply

Questions? Contact us for more information at either campus:

Bucyrus Campus (414) 210-2450

Stein Campus      (414) 977-5000