I had not heard much from my 90 year old friend for a while but I got a call from her daughter over the holidays saying she wasn’t doing too well. So, today I brought my therapy dog Buddy, down to see her.
I knocked on her door, walked in and saw her feet hanging off the bed. She was laying there with a cast on her wrist from a recent break, one eye open and she looked like death warmed over.
Buddy hopped on her bed and made her laugh. After a while, I helped her sit up and 30 minutes later, there was life in her again, as we planned our birthday lunch in August. It didn’t take much, just being with her, some compassionate touch and a few dog kisses.
I know there are thousands of elderly people needing help and stimulation and visits. An intergenerational center would work miracles. As I talk about our project, the response is always, ‘we want one here’ that here being Rhode Island, Oregon, Wyoming, California, New Jersey, England, Japan and the list goes on and on.
