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Pets For Therapy |
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Welcome to Pets for Therapy Our aim is to give |
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Nursing Homes and other Care Facilitiesvisited by Pets for Therapy |
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Feedback -To Whom It May ConcernGuide Dogs for the Blind Association of QueenslandGympie Road Bold Hills
I am writing with regard to Yvonne Cody, of Southport. I made Yvonne's acquaintance when she volunteered assistance to my position of Resource Officer in the Gold Coast Regional Office of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association of Old. Yvonne applied her remarkable enthusiasm and dedication very successfully by raising funds for our Association. Guide Dogs Old receives minimal government funding, and therefore relies heavily on community benevolence and the assistance of volunteers like Yvonne. It is my understanding that for the past eleven and a half years, Yvonne has provided a voluntary service of 'Pets For Therapy' to the Gold Coast community. For the initial nine years, Yvonne provided this service on her own. Due to increasing demand for the service over the past two and a half years, she has recruited and utilised the assistance of volunteers. Pets For Therapy is conducted with temperamentally suitable, obedience trained and qualified dogs. Yvonne's Pets For Therapy services more than fourty Nursing Homes on the Gold Coast and visits the Rehabilitation Department of Gold Coast Hospital. In addition, Pets For Therapy provides educational talks, which enhance responsible pet ownership, to children within Gold Coast Schools, and provides support to local school fetes. Yvonne and her animals have also worked with children with disabilities. To my knowledge, Yvonne's Pets For Therapy is the only group which offers this service to nursing home residents in the Gold Coast community. Guide Dogs Queensland is unable to offer Pets as Therapy due to lack of funding in this State. As a qualified Registered Nurse with five years experience working at Guide Dogs Old, I am an enthusiastic advocate of Pet Therapy. The special bond between humans and companion animals has been recorded throughout history and forms the basis of Pet Therapy. It has multiple benefits, including educational, emotional, psychological, physiological and / or clinical. The therapeutic advantages of Pet Therapy are especially conducive to improving quality of life for elderly residents in long-term care facilities. Yvonne and her volunteers are to be admired for their outstanding contribution to community well-being. I fully support Yvonne in her quest for funding so that this valuable service can continue. Should you require further information, please feel free to contact me on 5534 8755 or 0416 056 707. Yours Sincerely Hibiscus House70 Lawrence Drive, Nerang, Queensland 4211 We feel privileged to haveYvonne Cody with her troupe of volunteers and their talented pets as part of our Diversional Therapy Program here at Hibiscus House. They come to the home on a regular basis to visit our residents. It is magical to see each resident's face light up as the pets arrive and go through their tricks. This is one of the few activities in our program which has no barriers. It is suitable for the resident with cognitive impairment as well as those with no cognitive problems. The physical capabilities of the residents are varied and this program is suitable for all. The residents who are confined to bed can also participate as the pets are taken to their rooms for them to pat and / or cuddle. Having this interaction with pets helps the residents cope with the feelings of loss and grief they have experienced when they were forced to leave their own beloved pets behind on admission to the Nursing Home. The benefits are also ongoing after the visit as there is much happy reminiscing about the memories of their own pets and of what Yvonne's troupe did while they were here. We hope Yvonne and her troupe continue to be a part of our Program for many years to come. Your faithfully C. Harwood
Labrador Nursing CentreYvonne Cody has conducted Pet Therapy sessions at the Labrador Nursing Centre for the last four years and has worked with a team of Volunteers. I am employed at the Labrador Nusing Centre as a Personal Carer with Specialist skills, and would like to take the opportunity to make the following comments. As a Personal Carer, I recognise the value of Pet Therapy as a great benefit for elderly people as it encourages them to reminisce about their own pets that they have had in the past. Pet Therapy also promotes tactile comfort for Aged people with special needs. Yvonne Cody has also organized Dog Shows at the Labrador Nursing Centre based on certain Theme Days such as Easter and Christmas. As a Personal Carer, I strongly support Pet Therapy as being of immense value for aged people and elderly people with special needs. Bland Verheyen - Labrador Nusing Centre 26 February 2001. VIEW Clubs of AustraliaMAIN BEACH QLD.
22/8/98
Dear Yvonne, On behalf of Billie, our President, and all the members of the Runaway Bay Day View Club I thank you for bringing your wonderful Jo Jo to appear in our parade last Wednesday. He is just so fantastic and was so appreciated by our audience. Yours sincerely, Pam Hon. Secretary
People Care PTY.LTDOrchid House Hostel 6.2.01 The benefits of "Pet Therapy" Mrs. Yvonne Cody and her pet poodle "Jo-Jo", have been visiting our Hostel for the past five years bringing indescribable joy by way of "pet therapy" to rnany of our residents. Mrs. Cody has been an inspiration to others and has encouraged and inspired volunteers and their pet dogs to join as a group. This group provides enjoyment and entertainment, through therapy and actions, to elderly citizens. Each month, Yvonne and the volunteers spend many hours in training their pets for the current monthly theme e.g.: Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Mothers Day and St. Patrick's Day. To the delight of the residents many of the themes include little gifts, whether it be a little posy of flowers for Christmas or little heart shaped chocolates set on cards for Mothers Day - each gift lovingly made by Yvonne. The impact of these visits on each of our residents who attend the presentations is quite visible to our staff. As the dogs go through their routines, the room fills with smiles and the residents obvious delight can be heard throughout the Hostel. At the end of the presentation, the residents have the opportunity to pat the dogs and chat to the volunteers. This is a very beneficial time. This interaction is precious, often stimulating past and pleasant memories of a time gone by, or just providing a great opportunity for the residents to communicate tiosely with these gentle, loving animals and their owners. We congratulate Yvonne and her volunteer group for their tireless time and effort to bring education, interaction, participation and obvious joy to the residents of Orchid House and other aged care facilities. Yours Sincerely, Andrea Melville Blue CarePines Haven Elenora - Ph: (07) 5534 5433
Mrs.Yvonne Cody and her "Pets for Therapy" group have been attending our centre regularly for the past 18 months. - - The group consists of several different dogs that perform various tricks and acts using props, which have to be erected by the group prior to the performance. The owners of the animals obviously spend a lot of time training the animals as well as designing and making the props. The residents thoroughly enjoy the time the group attends especially the chance to pat or nurse the animals. Yvonne uses her camera to capture these special moments and we keep them in an album. The visit is talked about for some time. The residents suffering from dementia particularly enjoy the show. The big smiles and eagerness to handle the animals can see this. The residents and staff value the visits and would love to see them continue. Yours sincerely Anne Carless Hostel Supervisor. River Lodge Aged Care FacilitySouthport - Ph; (07) 5532 6711 21.2.2001 The Pet Therapy, which Yvonne Cody offers to our residents, is of great value to our residents because of the touch, feel, sight, smell and warmth they can gain from all of their senses, creating the complete experience. The dogs provided for this activity are extremely well groomed, highly trained, or are being trained during same activity, giving humor and praise to the animals. One of the greatest rewards of the Pet Therapy is the 'hands on' experience for our residents. We feel Yvonne and her pet handlers provide an invaluable service and experience for who ever they come into contact with. River Lodge Aged Care Facility highly recommends and supports Yvonne registering as a Community Service. Yours faithfully We have many more letters, too many to show them all.
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