Pet therapy making a paws-itive impact on health care workers
A pop-up pet therapy session for health care workers provided a much needed break for staff at an Edmonton hospital Wednesday.
Ron Middleton and his rough collie named Candy spent 90 minutes at the Royal Alexandra Hospital for a pop-up pet therapy session.
“She’s excellent in, you know, getting people to relax, to calm down, to remember the dogs in their lives… those things a good therapy dog does,” said Middleton.
Middleton got Candy when she was six, after she retired from being a show dog. He credits that training for her calm demeanor.
“Working in the medical profession is stressful in the best of times, and now it’s super stressful for them,” he said. “The few minutes we spend actually compounds in many ways with the staff and patients here.”
There are many dog therapy programs meant to assist AHS patients, but this outdoor visit was specifically meant for health care workers.
“Amongst the three of us, our mental health has felt better today, just being excited to come and meet the dog and pet her,” said health care worker Tracey MacPhee.
“I think her calmness really kind of transfers onto us as we’re hanging out with her and petting her,” said RN Jenifer Bennett.
“Being able to take the time to do something like this has been very nice.”
A Statistics Canada survey from earlier this year found seven in 10 health care workers reported worsening mental health during the pandemic. Studies have shown interactions with pets can have a positive impact on mental health in challenging times.
“Last time we were here a young ICU nurse came here on his day off just to spend some time with the dog,” said Middleton.
Candy and her pup Cayley have been volunteering for the last three years. Middleton believes it’s in the past year and a half they’ve made the most impact.
“When we run these kinds of events, we go to the University during exam time and whatever, we call them stress busters and you can just see people come and because a dog lives in the moment, is totally accepting of everything, it just takes people right out of the stress space they’re in.”
Middleton and his dogs also visit the staff and patients at the Alberta Hospital.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Dan Grummett.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.