PET Connection: Gloria, “Sparky” & Helen
Helen is an elder who has suffered from severe depression all of her life and has been in assisted living for many years. Her daughter was frustrated that her efforts to visit were met with no response and called LITA. She felt a dog would connect with her mom in a way people were not able to. She was absolutely right. When Gloria brought her cute miniature schnauzer “Sparky” to visit, Helen reached out to hold the dog. Wordlessly, she accepted the dog for several weeks. On a recent visit she sat up and greeted "Sparky” by name, smiling and initiating conversation. What a difference!