Going to the Dogs at Maristhill - A Pet Therapy Story

Over the past several years, residents at Maristhill have enjoyed spending "quality" time with animals, thanks to Activities Director Bill Driscoll and Dawn Cordeiro, who runs “Farm Visits” in Rehoboth, MA. 

Farm Visits is a traveling petting farm, enabling people to interact with a wide range of “farm” animals.  

As you may know, interaction with animals has numerous positive effects on well-being.

In fact, studies have shown that regular visits with pets can have positive physical, emotional, and mental benefits for the elderly, especially those living in nursing or long-term care facilities.

Physical benefits include lowering blood pressure, lowering heart rate, and reducing overall stress.

Emotional benefits include reducing anxiety and depression, and decreasing loneliness through regular social interaction with the pets.

Going to the Dogs!
This month Maristhill has added an additional program to their monthly rotation, provided by Therapy Dogs International (TDI^®). 

TDI is a volunteer organization dedicated to regulating, testing and registration of therapy dogs and their volunteer handlers for the purpose of visiting nursing homes, hospitals, other institutions and wherever else therapy dogs are needed.

This type of therapy is consistent with Maristhill’s practice of holistic care, addressing each resident’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs. 

An Engaged Elder Community

An important component of our mission at Maristhill is to provide health care that fosters each individual's physical, spiritual, emotional, and intellectual well-being.

Our community of residents, patients and staff is highly-engaged, living and working together in an up-beat, familial environment, that encompasses over one-hundred activities most months!

These vary significantly, and include exercise classes, music and art therapy, patio visits, crafts, entertainment, pet visits and more... thus providing options that are of interest to our diverse community.

A number of our events are also open to the community-at-large, such as our annual fall Marketplace; and we look forward to the possibility of seeing you at Maristhill. 

Dogs Make People Happy!

Pet visits have consistently been a popular activity with our residents at Maristhill.

As one expert put it, "Dogs make people happy!"

But the "pets" we encounter during these visits include a wide range of cuddly critters that go well beyond just dogs...

Further, and most important, studies have shown that regular visits with pets can have positive physical, emotional, and mental benefits for the elderly, especially those living in nursing or long-term care facilities.

Physical benefits include lowering blood pressure, lowering heart rate, and reducing overall stress.

Emotional benefits include reducing anxiety and depression, and decreasing loneliness through regular social interaction with the pets.