I don’t expect to have fun in Memory Care, but I almost always do.  I feel at home there, and I found the residents charming and exciting and very often charming and loving. Some are almost lost to normal conversation, but there is always a way to communicate with them, especially when you bring an excellent therapy dog like Zinnia.

She is a natural.

There is always a path for love, giving and receiving.

Ellen insists Zinnia is her dog; when she sits down next to her, she is the master of ceremonies and invites the other residents in Memory Care to come and visit if they wish. She doesn’t want to move.

And they do come to visit. I love my work in the Memory Care Unit; I’ve always been drawn to the memory-deprived back to Joan; may she dance with the angels. I have a special connection with them; we know how to talk to each other and how to laugh with each other.

And more than anything, we know how to love a dog.

Today, my retraining program for Memory Care was tested, and Zinnia passed with flying colors and then some. I was happy and proud to show her off.

My friend Ron Dotson, who is visiting us from Ohio and works with dementia patients, asked if he could come and see the unit and how Zinnia works. For the past few weeks, I’ve been retraining her, teaching her to get up on a couch and remain there so the Memory Care residents, who are often shy, can approach her quietly and one by one until they are all there.

She will lick a hand on command, lie down on command, and come off the sofa only when she is released and then slowly and carefully.

Zinnia and I have a powerful, almost psychic bond now, we understand one another, and she always seems a jump ahead of me and knows what I want.

I brought many new picture-reading books; they were an instant hit. Robin, a Mansion aide, brought the books out and handed them out. I’m doing a lot of research on books that enable the residents to do the reading and puzzling by themselves, getting support and encouraging them to do it independently when they can.

I’m going to be searching for games and books that are specially designed for dementia patients and the memory impaired. I ordered new Bingo cards for Memory Care and the Mansion unit next door today. Below, Robin and Ron share notes on books and games for Memory Care.

Ron, a decorated Vietnam Vet, works with dementia patients in Ohio.

He knows how to talk to and relate to them; it is great to talk to him about this work. Above, he and Robin go through the books and strategy games I brought the Memory care today. We share a love for this work; Ron is coming to dinner Thursday at the farm, and after, he visits with the donkeys.

He never is without his marine hat; he is so proud. Ron has an easy, comfortable manner; people take to him. God resides very visibly in this man; he is soft but stiff, challenging but gentle. He is an unusual man.

The Memory Care residents know instantly who their friends are.

We have a ritual now with Zinnia. Ellen stays on the couch as a fixed point for Zinnia (I doubt I could get her to move away from the dog). I stand 10 or 12 feet back so she can see me and so I can signal her.

The residents come up shyly and quietly, one by one until they are all gathered in a circle around the dog. None of them can resist her; soon, everyone is laughing and talking. Zinnia and I will go to Memory Care every Monday morning whenever somebody could use some comfort and cheer up.

Zinnia was excellent today; I was so proud of her. After years of training him to never jump up on a couch, I’ve retrained him to jump up on a sofa and stay there so the residents can come to her, one by one. It takes a few minutes, but soon and inevitably, everyone comes out of their rooms to touch her, sit with her, and love her.

Ellen and Zinnia have a bond, an almost psychic connection, and she stays close. Ron was impressed, even astonished once or twice. I’ve trained Zinnia to lick on command when I nod and raise my finger.

 

I brought a dozen books and two new “strategy” games for the Memory Care residents.

The idea is to give them projects that they can do independently. They get support but are encouraged to do the reading and games by themselves as much as possible. I will work hard to get some of these books and plays into the Memory Care unit. They do a great job in Memory Care, but they need support. Things are expensive.

There are a lot of great new games out there.

Ron and I were impressed by the new strategy books and pictures for Memory Care. He plans on getting some for use in Ohio.

The residents loved them instantly, picked them up, and looked at them the whole time we were there. I plan to fundraise for more. (Via Paypal, [email protected] or Venmo, Jon Katz@Jon-Katz-13 or by check, Jon Katz. Mansion Fund, P.O. Box 205, State Route 22, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

 

I can’t say enough about how much this dog means to the residents; I think she knows it now. Zinnia is a loving dog, and she loves attention. She is also naturally calm and chill. She never jumps, barks moves abruptly, or bangs on anyone. In this kind of therapy work, the communication between the dog and the handler must be perfect – no mistakes or missed or confusing signals.

I rarely have to speak to Zinnia while we are doing this work; I talk to her with my hands and eyes. She knows how to read me. My therapy dog rule is cast in concrete: no mistakes, the first one is the last. Lenore, my late black lab, was an excellent therapy dog. She ate a patient’s hamburger one day while no one was looking. It was her last time doing therapy work.

Red was a remarkable therapy dog but more reserved than Zinnia. She loves to love and be loved and will kiss just about anything that moves. Red didn’t kiss anybody.

I’m always surprised by how tired this work leaves the dogs; she comes home and collapses for hours, as did the others. Something about the work drains them.

By the end of our visit, all residents were out either petting Zinnia or sitting in a circle around her and watching her. The aides say some residents often don’t want to leave their rooms. Zinnia gets them out into the open. I can see their shyness. I can alsvisitee their love.

Zinnia is an irresistible magnet. It’s incredible how much she means to the residents in Memory Care.  Now, I must show up regularly and frequently with Zinna. We have something going, and I want to deepen it. What matters the most in this work is that you show up. Anything else is forgiven. They even like my jokes. I even like theirs.

I was glad Ron got to see the unit and Zinnia at work. I enjoyed his visit; I’ll be sorry when he leaves this weekend.