upworthy

assisted living

Pets

Foster puppies take field trips to an assisted living home for snuggles. It's an adorable win-win.

"The laughs, chats, and love the seniors receive during these visits is so good for their souls."

Images courtesy of carter.cifelli/Instagram (with permission)

Assisted living residents get special visit from foster puppies.

The transition into an assisted living home can be hard and lonely. Adjusting to new routines and environments in nursing homes can be scary and unfamiliar to residents.

So, what could be better to bring some joy and comfort to nursing homes than snuggling foster puppies? It's a sweet operation that Carter Cifelli, a puppy foster care provider and advocate in Raleigh, North Carolina, and So Fetch K9, a puppy socialization business in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, are on a mission to provide.

"I’ve been doing this for over 3 years with my foster puppies and have taken almost every litter of puppies I’ve fostered there since I started," Cifelli tells Upworthy. "I love these visits! I go to the same assisted living facility every time so I see the same familiar faces and they know me."

Cifelli and So Fetch K9 bring smiles to nursing home residents—many who struggle with memory loss. "It’s so special to see them waiting with excitement to get to snuggle a rescue pup! And beyond magical to see the sweet puppies relax into their laps and arms," Cifelli adds.

In the videos, residents at the assisted living facility can be seen holding pups in their laps and giving them lots of cuddles and yummy treats. Many pups are so relaxed and happy, they can be seen falling fast asleep.

"The pups I foster have been saved from rural shelters across North Carolina, to go from being discarded and unwanted to bringing so much joy to the seniors is inspiring! Every single person involved gets so much happiness out of it," Cifelli says.

In another post, So Fetch K9 explained that the visits benefits the puppies in a number of ways. "The 7-10 week age frame is the best window to do this type of socialization," they explained. "At this age, their little brains are eager to take in information. When it’s filled with safety, fun, and love, the pups go about the rest of their lives feeling excited about new experiences, not scared of them."

They also added that, "The socialization puppies receive in the critical socialization period is crucial to the ease of their success later in life. While the residents love nothing more than our puppy visits, they are helping the pups more than they know. 💕"

The visits help assisted living residents as well. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, simply petting dogs has been proven reduce stress and also increases levels oxytocin, the "feel-good" bonding hormone.

The precious videos of residents with puppies pulled on the heartstrings of viewers. "This is the absolute perfect place to bring these puppies !!! This is so good for these residents !!! I’m sure this absolutely made their day❤️❤️❤️❤️," one wrote. Another commented, "This is AWESOME! Makes my heart smile!🥰" Another viewer added, "The best therapy ever!! For the pups and these beautiful folks. ❤️"

The foster puppies that have visited assisted living homes throughout the years are available for adoption through Hope Animal Rescue and Saving Grace Animal Adoption.

From Your Site Articles
foster puppies
PetsJoy
Joy

Young hairstylist chooses to work in assisted living home's salon, helps older women feel beautiful

"I see these women once a week and we talk about EVERYTHING."

creations.by.k80/Instagram

Hairstylist Katie Hill works in an assisted living home.

Getting beautified at the hair salon is a luxury most women cherish. But for those who are too old to drive or living in assisted living facilities, its a simple pleasure that often doesn't happen.

Hairstylist Katie Hill (@creations.by.k80) has made it her mission to serve women living in a nearby assisted living home. Once a week, she goes to color, cut, and visit with a loyal group of female clients whose lives she has changed–and vice-versa. In an emotional video on Instagram, she shared the deep impact of working with these women.

"I often get asked what one of my favorite things is about being a hairstylist in an assisted living facility. My answer would be getting to learn about and work with women from a different generation," she shared in the video's caption.

Throughout the video, Hill can be seen styling and cutting a number of different women who come to her salon within the assisted living facility, which was renovated last year. "I see these women once a week and we talk about EVERYTHING. They have trusted to tell me heavy things. Past relationships, loved ones they've lost, friendship struggles or even the current emotions or anxiety they deal with as they age."

She continues, "It makes me think about no matter what age we are, all women deal with the same problems. It's intimidating but comforting."

Each client she sees has a smile on her face and can be seen conversing with Hill, who pays special attention to what each woman would like to make them feel their most beautiful. Hill goes on to explain that when she first started working with these women, she was not confident in herself.

"When I started the job, I worried they wouldn't like me because of my age difference, or that they wouldn't take me seriously. I've never been more wrong," she writes. "They care about me. They always asks what's going on with me or if I'm doing okay. They constantly uplift and thank me for visiting them once a week."

For Hill, it's the human connection that has made it all worth it. "Some can't remember my name, or even what they ate for dinner, but they know I come every Monday and remember that. That makes me feel the power of my job and how I can heal people," she says.

She concludes the video with immense gratitude. "To my group of friends at the facility, thank you for helping me grow into the woman I've always wanted to become," she writes.

Her touching video had a big impact on viewers, including other hairstylists working in assisted living facilities.

"I’m a stylist also 25 years in Assisted living /Nursing home. I have met some amazing people along my way .So many life with a special place in my heart I’ve learned so much through them♥️," one shared.

Another wrote, "I'm a stylist w/30 years in the biz & have a good amount of older clients whom I hold near & dear to my heart❤️ I just love your work with all the elders! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️"

And another added, "Their knowledge and stories are forever in my heart. I still relate to some even years after working with the ladies. Everyday I want to go back into an assisted living salon because of the beauty of their hearts 🫶🏼🥺."

From Your Site Articles
hairstylist
JoyHeroes
Identity

One man turned nursing home design on its head when he created this stunning facility

"What if we design an environment that looks like outside?" he said. "What if I can have a sunrise and sunset inside the building?



92-year-old Norma had a strange and heartbreaking routine.

Every night around 5:30 p.m., she stood up and told the staff at her Ohio nursing home that she needed to leave. When they asked why, she said she needed to go home to take care of her mother. Her mom, of course, had long since passed away.

Behavior like Norma's is quite common for older folks suffering from Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. Walter, another man in the same assisted living facility, demanded breakfast from the staff every night around 7:30.

Jean Makesh, CEO of Lantern assisted living facilities, says he meets folks with stories like these every day. It's their stories that inspired him to make some changes at Lantern.

"I thought I knew a lot about elderly care. The more and more time I was spending with my clients, that's when I realized, 'Oh my god, I have no clue.'"

Confusion is common in Alzheimer's patients, but Makesh knew there had to be some way to minimize these conflicts.

A big believer in the idea that our environment has an enormous effect on us, he started thinking big — and way outside the box.

"What if we design an environment that looks like outside?" he said. "What if I can have a sunrise and sunset inside the building? What if I'm able to have the moon and stars come out? What if I build a unit that takes residents back to the '30s and '40s?"

And that was just the beginning. He also researched sound therapy. And aromatherapy. And carpet that looked like grass. No idea was off-limits.

What he came up with was a truly unique memory-care facility. And after testing the concept in Lantern's Madison, Ohio, facility, Makesh is opening two new locations this year.

Instead of rooms or units, each resident gets a "home" on a quiet little indoor street reminiscent of the neighborhoods many of them grew up in.

All photos courtesy of Lantern

Instead of a boring panel ceiling, residents look up and see a digital sky, which grows dimmer late in the day to help keep their biological clocks in tune.

Throughout the day, nature sounds and fresh aromas like peppermint or citrus are piped in.

Some studies have shown that this kind of aromatherapy may indeed have some merits for improving cognitive functioning in Alzheimer's patients.

There's even a little "main street" where residents can gather.

For Makesh, this isn't just about making patients comfortable, though. He wants to change how we think about the endgame of severe dementia.

The insides of the rooms aren't too shabby, either.

Makesh said one of the frustrating shortcomings of most nursing facilities is that they create conflicts with unnatural environments and schedules, and they try to solve them by throwing antipsychotic and anti-anxiety medications at patients. In other words, when someone has severe dementia, we often give up on them. From there, they stop getting the engagement their brain needs to thrive.

Of course, we're a long way from a cure for Alzheimer's.

But Makesh's project shows that when we think strategically about altering the environment and focus on helping people relearn essential self-care and hygiene skills, the near-impossible becomes possible.

"In five years, we're going to [be able to] rehabilitate our clients where they can live independently in our environment," he said. "In 10 years, we're going to be able to send them back home."

He knows it's a lofty goal. And whether he'll meet it remains to be seen. But in the meantime, he's proud to own one of the few places that offers something pretty rare in cases of severe dementia: hope.


This article originally appeared on 09.08.16

From Your Site Articles
IdentityGolden Years
Joy

Janitor and cook stayed to care for residents when nursing home shut down and staff left

Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez refused to abandon the residents who got left behind in the "chaotic mass evacuation."

Image by Carola68 The world is colorful...... from Pixabay

When a nursing home shut down, the janitor and cook stayed with the remaining residents.

True
#WhoWeAre

There are certain moments in life that determine your character. This was definitely one of those moments for Maurice Rowland and Miguel Alvarez.

Rowland was working as a cook and Alvarez as a janitor at an assisted living facility when suddenly they found out that the facility was going to close.

The Valley Springs Manor assisted-living facility was shut down by the California Department of Social Service in October of 2013, prompting a "chaotic mass evacuation" of staff and residents. Staff left because they weren't getting paid, but Rowland and Alvarez stuck around. There were around 16 residents left at the home with nowhere to go and nobody to take care of them. Some of them were sick and bedridden and some had dementia.

Rowland and Alvarez, who have been friends since middle school, had a conversation about what they were going to do. They decided they couldn't in good conscience abandon the residents who were left behind, so for the next several days they stayed and cared for them, making sure they were bathed and fed and got their medications—all without pay.

"I just couldn't see myself going home," Rowland said. "Next thing you know they're in the kitchen trying to cook their own food and burn the place down."

Alvarez said he would go home for one hour a day to take a shower and get dressed and then head back to the facility. His wife was upset at first because he missed a planned family trip during that time, so she drove to the center to see what was more important than time with her and their kids. What she found when she arrived left her "heartbroken," she told SF Gate.

Alvarez told StoryCorps that he'd been abandoned by his parents when he was young and knew how them leaving would make the residents feel. "I didn't want them to go through that," he said.

"If I would have left, I think that would've been on my conscience for a very long time," Rowland added.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

The facility had a history of regulatory violations and inadequate care that led to the shut down, but the transition for the residents who needed to be transferred to other facilities was fumbled by the authorities.

"“The Department fell short of its mission to protect the health and safety of residents in Valley Springs Manor,” the Department of Social Services said in a statement after the fact. “The Division erred in not ensuring, through successful engagement with local partners, that relocation arrangements for all of the residents were complete.”

When one resident started to deteriorate, Rowland and Alvarez called 911, which alerted authorities to the situation the men and residents were in. A proper evacuation of residents then began, relieving the men of the duty they'd taken on to care for people who had no one else.

"Even though they wasn't our family, they were kind of like our family for this short period of time," said Rowland.

According to SF Gate, Rowland and Alvarez were honored for their sacrificial service with an award from the American Veterans Association, a certificate of special recognition from Rep. Eric Swalwell's office a commendation from the California Legislature, and a wave of donations from people who were inspired by their selflessness.

""We didn't expect any of this," Alvarez said. "We've never expected anything from anyone in life."

They may not have expected anything, but their big-heartedness paid off not only in recognition and financial support, but in the satisfaction of putting other people's humanity before themselves.


This story originally appeared on 9.29.16 It has since been updated.


From Your Site Articles
humanity
JoyMoreHeroes
Trending Stories