|
Cornell
Companions Newsline
Issue
9: December 10, 2005
Mission Statement:
“The purpose of Cornell
Companions is to provide the therapeutic effects of animals with the
people whom we visit. We strive to educate our volunteers on the
beneficial effects of the human-animal bond, and to foster positive
relationships between people and animals, and also between different
groups of people."
Meet Katrina
As
some of you may or may not know Nona Ikeda will soon be
graduating, leaving behind some very big shoes to fill.
Taking her place will be Katrina Kollgaard, a junior Animal
Science major from Oneonta, New York.
Katrina is currently serving as an administrative
assistant, learning the ropes and getting a feel for the inner
workings of the program. When Nona graduates Katrina will
take over as the Assistant to the Director of Cornell Companions.
The reason Katrina applied for this position is
because she really admires the mission of Cornell Companions.
She has always found that animals have a unique ability to
brighten people’s spirits.
Katrina is also involved in several other
activities on campus. She is a member of the Cornell
University Chorus and she also tutors for the Athletic
departments. She aspires to one day become a veterinarian
perhaps specializing in Oncology.
We are all very excited to have Katrina as part of
the program and we look forward to working with her in the coming
year!
--Katie Seeley
|
A Revival of Halloween Spirit at Lakeside
|
Every year when I was younger I looked forward to Halloween.
Dressing up and getting candy for it. What could be better?
As I get older, the holiday has lost some of its novelty for me.
There is less of a reason to dress up and less excitement even if
I do. The residents at Lakeside Nursing and Rehabilitation
Center, however, have not let this attitude get in their way of
celebrating Halloween. This year the staff threw a party
for all the residents and family with costumes, food, and even
karaoke! Being that this was the first year that my rabbit,
Clarke, got dressed up in celebration I couldn't let her miss
this Halloween bash.
My little elephant and I showed up
around three to be greeted by the activities director Susan,
dressed in full sixties garb and serving apple cider to all the
residents. The room was filled with music ahead of my time
and some of the staff members sang along in front of the room.
The residents, seated in chairs and at tables filling the entire
conference room, seemed to enjoy themselves as well. Some
sang along, others talked and some preferred to enjoy their
Halloween treats in solitude. Other members from Cornell
Companions attended as well, including Skylar the bat-dog, who
greeted both my elephant-rabbit and the nursing home residents
with enthusiasm.
By far the best part of this Lakeside
extravaganza, however, was the costume contest. Clarke was
entered, held by Wendy the cat, her favorite resident, and she
and her competitors stood and sat proudly in front of the room,
as the judges labored over their decision. I could tell it
was a difficult choice to make, but in the end three residents
were chosen as first, second, and third place winners.
First place was a resident dressed in drag. It was hard not
to notice him from the start, a man at least six feet tall,
wearing a blonde wig and a red dress; it was obvious why he won
first prize!
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, as the
experience was a fun first Halloween party for Clarke and a good
revival of the Halloween spirit for me. I think we are both
looking forward to see what Lakeside has planned for next year!
--Olivia Pires
|
Facility Profile - The Lakeside Nursing Home and
Rehabilitation Center
|
The Lakeside Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center is a
24-hour nursing and rehabilitation center located on Trumansburg
Road in Ithaca, New York. The facility features physical therapy,
speech, audiology, occupational therapy, hospice service and
short term stay for its patients. There are different areas in
the facility devoted to meet the needs of all kinds of patients,
including floors with assisted-living as well as an Alzheimer’s
unit. With about 260 beds and a full time skilled nursing staff,
Lakeside offers several activities and programs that involve the
local community, including a cooperative effort with the Cornell
Companions.
Cornell Companions have been visiting the residents at
Lakeside for several years. Lakeside was actually one of
the first facilities ever visited by the Cornell Companions.
As part of the program, volunteers bring their pets or animals to
Lakeside and meet with residents individually as well as in
groups in large common areas so that many residents can
participate. A great variety of animals have been brought to
Lakeside, including dogs, cats, ferrets, horses, llamas, and
others. Suzanne Bakert, one of the directors at the facility,
arranges the volunteer program and is always excited to see new
animals joining the group. Current pets that visit Lakeside
include a Shepherd-mix named Zeus, a Cocker Spaniel-mix named
Nas, a Border collie named Jif, a Rottweiler named Kinder, a
Terrier-mix named Daisy, and a cat named Seaweed. Visits
are conducted on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th
Thursdays of each month from 7 to 8pm.
|
Cornell Companions and Alterra Clare Bridge Cottage
|
Alterra (Clare Bridge Cottage) is a residential home for
people with dementia. The home is located on Bundy Road off RT
96N in Ithaca, and overlooks Cayuga Lake. Clare Bridge is very
homey; there are some double rooms but most residents have their
own room, which they can furnish with their own items. Most of
the people living there are long-term, although a few people are
there for a short period, to allow family members to take a
break.
 Cornell
Companions has been visiting Clare Bridge since it opened in
Ithaca in 1999. We visit on the first and third Sunday of each
month for about an hour. Most of the visiting occurs in one of
the main living rooms, with only an occasional visit to an
individual’s room. We have a core group of residents to
welcome us with some new faces from time to time. Each visit is
basically a new visit as few people remember us from visit to
visit, though some of the animals and their names are remembered!
Most of the conversations revolve around the dog/cat’s
name, how old she/he is, where you got them, how long you’ve
owned them. This will often lead into conversations about animals
they’ve owned or ones they claim they currently own!
Interesting and funny conversations do occur. On one occasion, I
was telling someone that I was going on vacation, at the time I
was visiting with my very popular dog Henry. The resident became
very concerned and wanted to know who would care for Henry. I
explained that nice people would stay at my house and take good
care of him. She would have none of it and insisted that she and
her husband were to be his caretaker and proceeded to give me
their address and phone number so that we could make the
arrangements! On another visit, a student was saying how she’d
been trying to work with a chinchilla to use for visiting.
She expressed her frustration and said that she just couldn’t
get it to do anything, not even sit still. Another volunteer
asked if it was a male or female, and she said that it was a
female. One of the male residents promptly responded “yes
that was always my experience with females too!” Our visits
are never dull, and sometimes I think I receive more therapy than
I provide.
At least twice a year we try to have special visits. At
Halloween we dress the animals and ourselves. Everyone seems to
really enjoy it and over the years we’ve had some pretty
amazing costumes. It is really incredible what our animals
will tolerate. In the spring, Gail Fulkerson visits with either a
llama or an alpaca. We have always had wonderful weather for
these visits and are able to meet in the fenced courtyard. People
from Sterling House, the neighboring residential facility,
usually join us for these visits and everyone enjoys meeting
Gail’s gentle creatures.
We have always had a great group of volunteers consisting of
undergrads (mainly Cornell), grad students, vet students and town
people who keep the program going over the breaks.
--Helen M. Griffiths
|
Hurricane Katrina Project
|
Everyone is familiar with the grim pictures of New Orleans
overcome with water. We have all heard about the thousands of
people left without homes as a result of Hurricane Katrina. Many
people, however, are not aware of the many animals that have been
left stranded in the flooded city. These animals have no food or
medical care, and despite efforts by relief organizations like
the Humane Society of the United States and the Louisiana
Veterinary Medical Association, many of these animals are still
suffering. This fall, Cornell Companions has decided to collect
donations to help support this important cause. We have set up
donation containers at several veterinary hospitals and pet
supply stores across Ithaca. All the money collected from
this endeavor will go directly to the American Veterinary Medical
Foundation's Disaster Relief and Response Fund. For more
information on what is being done to help the animal victims of
Hurricane Katrina, please visit the Humane Society’s
website: http://www.hsus.org/hsus_field/hsus_disaster_center/.
--Erin Morgan
|
|
COLD:
PEOPLE WHO WOULD LEAVE THEIR DOGS OUT ALL WINTER
WARM:
THE FEELING YOU GET WHEN YOU SPONSOR A DOG HOUSE
Sponsor a doghouse today!
Last year, hundreds of dogs only had bushes, rusty barrels, or
discarded furniture for “shelter.” This year,
some will have a sturdy doghouse filled with straw bedding,
thanks to kind sponsors.
Thousands of dogs are in desperate need of shelter as winter
sets in. Will you please help by providing one (or more)
dogs with a weatherproof house to ward off icy winds, sleet and
snow?
Call 757-962-8300 or e-mail Info@peta.org
to sponsor a doghouse today or to give a gift sponsorship to
a friend. Visit Angel4Animals.com
for more information about helping needy dogs keep warm this
winter.
PLEASE TAKE 30 SECONDS NOW AND SEND THE EASIEST
AND BEST GIFT OF THE HOLDIAY SEASON
Angel4Animals.com
|
This issue of the Cornell Companions Newsline was brought to
you by:
Emily Rosene
Katie
Seeley
Olivia Pires
Helen Griffiths
Erin
Morgan
David Arty
Click
here to see previous issues of the Newsline.
|
