The stresses of life can sometimes seem like they are just too much to bear. In the post-Katrina world, those stresses have become magnified. Anyone living in the New Orleans area knows that we are living in a stressful time. Recent studies in the New Orleans area have demonstrated what we already knew, generally speaking, we are depressed.

However, research studies also show that having a pet in our lives is a benefit when dealing with stress. Having a pet in our life can help us to cope with physical and emotional problems better than those who don?t have pets. A lot of this has to do with the calming response stemming from petting our animals. The majority of these research studies also mention how much the elderly can benefit from interaction with animals.

These studies have followed the use of ?therapy pets? in health care, social, educational, and recreational settings. Among older Americans, therapy animals can be used in nursing homes, hospitals and residential care facilities. Therapy animals visit patients, who are encouraged to pet, interact, and play with them. The pet visits provide an opportunity for facility residents to smile, reminisce and connect with our pets. These interactions often result in the improved physical health and mental well-being of the patient.

But the benefits of pet therapy can work both ways. Being the human part of a pet therapy team means we get to spend more time with our favorite furry friend. Having our pet on the other end of the leash can also make interactions easier for us. Let?s be realistic; the dog, cat or bunny is the star. Volunteering offers uplifting and rewarding benefits in return for our time. Taking the time to volunteer helps us to feel needed and valued, allows us the opportunity to make a difference in someone else?s life and express gratitude for help we may have received in the past. Especially during this difficult post-Katrina world, we all need to seek out ways to enhance our emotional lives.

We should all give ourselves a big hug for taking the time to assist such a special population of citizens who truly appreciate our being there for them.

Claire Sommers

Ever considered being a mentor for a new volunteer coming into the program? We are always looking for people to help guide our newest members when they first enter our group.

We have a large number of people who are scheduled to be evaluated at the September evaluation, and all of these people will need buddies. If you think that you might like to act as a mentor and help the newbies get settled in faster, we would love to have you be a buddy for them.

So, how do you get to be a buddy? We will have a buddy workshop on September 16, 2006 at the Harahan Senior Center from 2-5. The workshop will consist of two parts: the first part of the workshop will include buddies, along with new handlers and their pets, learning how to guide their pets through visits, and introducing them to the hospital equipment. The second part of the visit will be for buddies, only. In this portion of the workshop, we will talk about how to work with the handlers and their pets, as well as how to give an exit interview and what specific things to observe and evaluate while on a buddy visit.

Upon completion of the workshop, all buddies will receive a buddy polo shirt to wear when mentoring a new handler and their pet.

If you would like to sign up for the buddy workshop, please give Rebecca Breaud a call at 504-888-7716 or email her at labbies@cox.net so that we can reserve your spot. Please join us for a very enlightening afternoon.

Donations were received from:

• C.J. Nichols with a matching donation from Dominion
• Jill Dolese
• United Way of Greater Richmond & St. Petersburg
• Joyce Lashley
• Virginia Lovell
• Laurie Nastasi
• Aetna Foundation, Inc on behalf of Barbara Hyland
• Bill and Fay Schultz in memory of Frances Strempler