Hello. It's time to be well with your health. I'm Nimeet.

And I'm Tina.

Welcome to Adventist HealthCare, and you podcast.

Today, we have a special guest host with us. You may recognize her from past episodes. It's great to have you back, Tina.

It's great to be here, Nimeet, and especially on such a doggone fun episode like we're gonna have today.

So we're very excited to welcome our four guests today, two who are four legged. We're catching up, with a couple of past guests as they have someone very special to talk about and introduce since their last visit. We're gonna take a deep dive into facility dogs and the role they have in patient care.

I am so excited to be here with the facility dogs, and they are laying so peacefully at our feet right now, but they are so excited to be here and they are celebrities when they walked in, today.

And so we're gonna have a great conversation with our handlers and maybe later we can hear from them directly. So Nimeet, why don't you introduce the experts who are gonna tell us a little bit more about the dogs?

Absolutely. So we have Dr. Heather Tropiano, who is a rehab psychologist.

She works under the department of neuropsychology and rehab psychology at Adventist Healthcare Rehabilitation.

And then we also have Colette Calomeris, who is occupational therapist, and she works at Adventist Healthcare as well, in the rehab and wants to introduce very special guest with us who is Marcy.

Marcy is one of our newer dogs who's a canine companion facility dog working at Adventist HealthCare Rehab. And then we have our returning guest, Peru, who's also another facility dog. You guys may have known her from our last talk. Thank you for coming here.

Of course. We're happy to be here.

So I've had Marcy for about three months now. I went to Long Island to go get her in February and came home with the most special gift. So she's excited to be here and and joining the podcast as well.

We're excited that she's making her debut on the airwaves with us today.

So I know we covered a lot of this last time, but just to refresh our memories, you know, what is a facility dog? What impact do they have at Adventist HealthCare staff and patients, and and how do they assist, and the well-being?

So a facility dog is a dog who is basically on staff at our rehab hospitals.

They are dogs who are trained to incorporate themselves into interventions with the therapist.

So Dr. Tropiano and I have different roles at Adventist, but the facility dogs are able to kind of match what we need, match what the patients need, and help them out however they can in their rehab.

So there are also facility dogs who are in places like police departments, schools, court systems, but we're lucky enough to have them in our hospital.

The last time we recorded about the facility dogs, I know you mentioned that you were excited for Rehab Rockville to receive a facility dog because you wanted to try the facility dog with the amputee population, which is a big concentration of the facility over there. Have you been able to do that since getting Marcy, and how is that going?

Honestly, we have not had any amputees since getting her. So as excited as I am, I'm I'm, still waiting for that. She has gotten a chance to work with a lot of patients who have experienced stroke, which is another interest of mine and another, population we see a lot at Rockville.

So she's she's been a big motivator for people to use their hemiparetic sides.

That's something Peru is well versed at doing. Right, Dr. Tropiano?

Yeah. So we both use them for stroke. Stroke is something I think that we see a lot on our inpatient unit.

There's a lot of, stroke patients at a at a given time. And I think these dogs are really helpful when it comes to rehabbing someone with a stroke because they're trained in tasks to help that patient use their weak side, whether it's arm or leg.

And so they come in really handy with that population. We use them in very similar ways to incorporate into patients, rehab to help them work on a certain goal. So it's, you know, we we use them in similar ways. Colette though is a therapist, and so she, I think, sometimes has more creative, ideas to use Marcy within her individual sessions.

So given that Marcy was just introduced to the facility recently, you know, what kind of training do they go through? What kind of training does any facility dog go through? And, you know, coming to a new environment can be challenging for them too. So what goes into, all that?

So she basically has been trained since birth. So she was born at a breeding center a breeding facility in California.

Once she was eight weeks old, she went to her puppy raiser in New Hampshire where they started, teaching them basic commands. So things like sit, stay, hurry, etcetera.

Once she went to her professional training, which is about nine months long, she starts to work on those higher level kind of tasks. So picking up a credit card from the ground, pushing the elevator buttons, doing, kind of those more challenging tasks. So she had about nine months of that professional training, but they were, you know, assessing and seeing how she is doing with all of those things basically since birth. And then in terms of me introducing her to the work environment, I had two weeks in New York, just me and her before anyone, you know, was able to really meet her.

So we were able to really strengthen our bond. I, I kind of, pushed everyone away. My husband wasn't allowed to walk her. I, for for the first month or so, probably was the only one walking her, really trying to strengthen our bond.

And once that felt pretty strong, I became, you know, a little more lenient with with who can hold her, who can run with her, who can feed her, all of those kind of things. And then the staff at at Rockville have done a really good job of, you know, making sure she's always comfortable.

If she doesn't like a certain sound, people will stop a certain activity. Yeah.

So mindful about that.

Oh, yeah. And, you know, they've all seen how positive of an impact she can have. So everyone seems really willing to adjust and accommodate. People moved their desks so she could have a crate in the back. So it's it's been really sweet to see.

A positive experience.

A very positive experience.

And I have to say, Colette did a really great job at, Adventist Marcy to the unit. Right? So just like every new employee, they don't just jump into patient care right away. They have to get used to the environment.

They have to learn within the specific setting. They have to get to know their coworkers. So, Colette and I planned for, you know, Marcy just to kind of for the first week be on the unit and get to know what it was like to be in her crate, then be out of the crate, take walks around the unit, just learn the routine and learn the environment. And then the second week, you know, Colette had planned to, okay, incorporate Marcy in one treatment session a day.

And then the third week was two. And so, like, building up her ability to work too and also making sure that she was comfortable and able to perform her job. And I have to say the staff at Rockville did a really, really good job at respecting that because it's, you know, just like you saw earlier, you see a dog and everyone's like, oh my gosh. I just want it, you know.

But it's hard because when when these dogs are working with patients, they really have to have their sole attention on that patient to be able to do their job. And so I think, you know, Colette has done a really good job at modeling what that looks like and how to advocate for Marcy to make sure that she's given the opportunity to do the best work that she can. I say that as she's on her back with her paws in the air over there.

She's loving the pest next to me. She's on, yeah, I'm sure.

Dr. Tropiano, how long has Peru been part of the Adventist Healthcare family?

So she started in twenty twenty, September of twenty twenty. So, she just turned seven. So she's been here for September of twenty twenty. So, she just turned seven, so she's been here for five years now, which is kind of crazy. It's gone by in the blink of an eye.

It really is remarkable, but I would imagine it's so helpful to Colette to have you as the trailblazer in having had the experience of acclimating a facility dog and bringing it on board. And as you said, getting the staff used to this is a working dog and these are the boundaries. So tell us a little bit about the wisdom you've been able to impart and how that's gone.

I think one of the things we learned when I had brought Peru onto staff at it was then Tacoma Park, was that education was really important for the staff. And I did some of that before she came, but just because there are a lot of people, it's a very diverse setting that we work in. So lots of different people from lots of different areas of the world where dogs aren't necessarily pets or helpful. They could be rabbit or they could be protection or they, you know, or something that is dangerous.

So one of the things we did was, you know, provide lots of education prior to Colette going down to New York. And so, you know, training the staff on this is what a facility dog is. These are the rules of engagement. The dog, just like you, has to have downtime, so you can't be with them twenty four seven.

We also to model kind of what the process and the the flow was gonna look like from a clinical perspective, we had brought Peru onto the unit. I think we were doing it like once or twice a week for a few months so that the therapists and the physicians can kinda get a sense of, okay, these are some of the the skills that they have. This is the patient I'm working with. How do we kind of plug and play and use the skill for the patient to work on a specific goal?

And so just by doing that, I think the staff really got a good kind of orientation of, okay, when the dog is in the gym and my patient wants to say hi, like, we can't necessarily go over to the dog and, oh, I didn't know, you know, they were able to do these things. And so just for people to kind of get an idea of how to work with the dog on their team and then also how the dog skills can work with them to help their patients too. So I think those were two big things that we did initially to help with the transition.

Yeah. I agree. I think just having the experience at Tacoma park in white Oak was really helpful to make the program successful at Rockville. I, I kind of joke that I get all the, the glory of it with not having to go through any of the trail blazing action. So I'm, I'm very appreciative for all of that. And, you know, there's definitely the formal things and the education that have been really helpful, but there's also the kind of crazy dog mom things that is really helpful just to have another, you know, person who understands what it's like to have this, this dog bonded to you twenty four hours a day and, you know, tell me I'm not crazy sometimes.

Yeah.

Because I mean, you're with them more than you're with your spouse.

Right? I mean, like, it's with us morning, noon, and night. And so it's it's definitely a different type of a relationship that you develop.

I think it was a two pronged approach where you prepare the dog and train the dog, but also you prepare the staff and the, hospital just to ensure that you have expectations aligned that the dog is coming. How can they interact with your patients? How can they interact with you? What can you do for the dog to make them comfortable? So I think having that, multifaceted approach is definitely very helpful.

Yeah. And then also, you know, one of the big hurdles that I still face and I know Colette has been experiencing too is really reinforcing education about facility dog is not a therapy dog. Like, one's a working dog and one's a dog that comes and visits and says hi. So that's, you know, also something that we've been kind of just continuing to reinforce too.

So Can you walk us through a day of Peru and Marcy's workday and downtime day?

Like, how does that get differentiated and, like, you know, what does a typical day look like?

So for Marcy, she comes in with me around eight o'clock. She, lays at my feet and asks everyone for belly rubs while I chart review until about eight thirty. Yeah.

As she, that's exactly what I'm doing currently. Yep.

She sees her first patient from eight thirty to nine thirty. So this will typically be a more, OT, ADL focused session. So focusing on activities of daily living. So if there's someone who's, you know, relearning how to put on their shirt or something like that, Marcy will come in and and kind of help with those ADL sessions.

She'll have downtime until ten o'clock, and then we see another patient for a thirty minute session.

She hangs out until lunchtime.

During lunch, she, you know, goes around, asking for more belly rubs. And then she sees one more patient in the afternoon, and then a little more downtime before we leave around four. When we get home, she usually passes out on the couch pretty immediately.

We'll go for a walk or, you know, throw the ball, but she's pretty exhausted after a a day of work.

And there's a lot of interaction, I'm sure. Yeah. But, you know, getting belly rubs is is probably great too. Yeah.

Oh, yeah. It's her favorite.

We were saying prior to the recording, it's so fun to see the dogs interacting together.

And I would imagine there's a lot of similarities, given that they both have the same job, but they're different dogs. Right? So what have you observed? What are the similarities? What are the differences? Is there a type of work that one prefers and the other doesn't or a type of job one does that one doesn't? And tell us a little bit about what you've noticed.

That's a good and a fun question, I feel like. Because one thing that I've really noticed that Canine Companions does a really phenomenal job at is the match. Right? So they'll match the dog to the handler.

And I think Marcy's the perfect match for Colette because Colette is very spunky and has a lot of energy. And so Marcy is that way too. Like, she's just she's happy to see everyone all the time and she's here to work. Whereas Peru is more she's more subdued, I think.

You know, she has a professionalism about her.

And, you know, she is older, so there's that kind of difference with the the two of them as well. But personality wise, it's, you know, it's so interesting because these dogs are so well trained and they're they have the same training. And so there's behavior is the same to a certain extent, but then they have their own personalities too.

For sure. Right. Peri's roaming the room right now, getting pets from our our team that's in here. And, Marcy's still chilling, with Nimitz.

Legs up in the air.

Yep. So there's definitely some differences we're observing here.

I've noticed, Colette, have you noticed anything?

It's I I feel like it's more of the age that that I noticed. Like, Marcy loves to jump and play balloon volleyball with patients. And I think Peru did at one time, but Yeah. It's just a little bit harder on her now.

Yeah. You call Marcy and she runs a lap around you before she comes to your side. Peru goes right to your side. So I I think, like the spunk is definitely, one of the major things.

Peru will sit on your lap also, which is, Marcy won't do and I have a major qualm with.

But Colette, what's it been like working with the patients and with Marcy?

Like, how as a therapist has that made a difference to your work, and what have you observed in the patients?

It has definitely been a little chaotic at first. I wish I had a few extra hands.

Know, that that would really help. But Marcy has been such a good motivator through it all. And, you know, to see her working with the patients and to hear some of the things that they say after working with her, to see them do things they've never done before now, just because Marcy is, is in their presence has been, you know, the motivation to get through any of these days that have been a little bit harder or a little bit more challenging. You know, it's more documentation. You know, I'm running around a little bit more, but to see the outcomes that people are having because of her and to to feel this bond that I really have with her have have really been incredible.

I never imagined my OT career would lead me to being a dog handler, but I'm I'm very thrilled that this is the outcome. Now I'm getting pawed.

I'm sure many of our listeners will want to go to OT now because they would want to have a dog. Yes.

Yeah. It's it's it's a possibility.

What are some of the things that you hear from the patients?

Yesterday, we had a patient who we wanted to practice fall recovery with, and he was you know, the whole time, there's no way I can do this. I can't do it. I'm in pain. He got down onto his knees.

No. No. No. I can't do it. And then I told him, oh, well, Marcy can we can put a strap on your gait belt and Marcy can help you stand up from the ground.

Marcy is pretty tiny and cannot actually really help this man stand up from the ground, But her just being there, he was able to get up no problem.

Oh, that's great.

And and he's like, oh, yeah. Marcy helped me do it. He saw her again today and was like, should we get back on the ground again? Oh. Like, so, just things like that. I've had patients who say they miss their dog so much and, you know, just to see a dog have a dog in their presence makes them instantly happier or just how thrilled they are to interact with a dog again after, you know, possibly months of being away from their own animals.

So I'm sure both, Peru and Marcy have big responsibilities on their shoulders. So how do you ensure that, you know, their well-being is taken care of and they're not being burnt out? And what steps do you take, to ensure that they're, you know, well taken care of?

One thing that I think canine companions does really well is teaching us about how to read the dogs. I grew up with a dog, but I didn't know all of these things. I can really get a sense of when she's tired, when she's done with an activity, when she needs a break. So just that education on how to read them has been really helpful.

Another kind of wisdom piece I got from Doctor. Troiano was don't have all three of Bari sessions in the morning. Yeah. But we spread them out throughout the day so she can, you know, take breaks.

I try to not really do any commands over the weekends or when we get home, you know, she's still supposed to be a well behaved dog, but I'm not drilling her with commands or having her do certain things when we get home. So trying to just let her be a normal dog at home.

So what's she like at home?

She's still pretty goofy, still loves her belly rubs.

She is a little more Yeah.

She scratches herself.

She scratches herself. She's a little more of a couch potato at home.

I'm sure she's exhausted too. Yeah. Yeah.

So it It's a training job.

Yeah.

It's it's well deserved. She's, you know, a little lazier than I. And to seeing her at work, you're like, oh, this dog must never sleep. But she gets home, she puts her head on the pillow, and is usually out for the night.

She was made for her job for sure.

I mean, she's just been such a good asset and has really changed some lives over there at Rockville already. I was just thinking when you had asked Colette about what are some of the things that the patients say about that gentleman who is really frustrated working on the fine motor. Mhmm.

Yeah. We had a a gentleman who had had a stroke and had been working on buttons with one of his therapists and he could not get it. He kept telling her, I don't wanna work on this. And Marcy has a vest that, has buttons on it.

And he sat there for the thirty minute session and did the buttons with her the whole time Wow.

And was saying, like, this was making me so frustrated before I couldn't even work on it. And now just having, you know, the vest was just on top of Marcy. She wasn't even really doing anything except providing some motivation and he was able to get it.

It's just remarkable. And I know, Dr. Tropiano, when you were here last time, you talked about a lot of the research on just how big of an impact the dogs make.

We actually just got accepted to present a poster at, AMRPA in the, in the fall for our research. So we're excited about that.

It's very exciting.

Yeah. We're still waiting to hopefully hear back from a journal about publishing the research that we did with Peru and the impact that she has on patients' patient performance. And with, you know, now Marcy expanding the program, we would love to redo the study that we did initially with Peru, but now with two dogs at two different sites, which would help kind of generalize our findings as well. But yeah.

Because these guys, you know, are such an active integral part of someone's, treatment and working towards a goal, I feel like the researchers are so important and there's such a gap in the literature because no one really researches this. So it's exciting for us to be able to do it. And I think it also just helps kinda quantify and illustrate how much these guys do help. Right?

Because anecdotally, we have story after story. And I know Colette already, although she's been working with Marcy only for a few months, has seen so many positive impacts of her, but it's just really nice to be able to scientifically prove it.

How common is it for a facility to have a facility, Doug, a facility like our hospitals?

Yeah. You know, I think it's not super common. There are, like, the bigger research hospitals across the country, like Kessler and Baylor and Craig, you know, they have facility dogs. I'm not sure though, and Colette and I have had this conversation, how the dogs get used in other sites, because we really work our dogs.

Like, we have schedules for them. We make sure that, you know, the therapists are using them in a certain way. So to answer your question, it exists. It's not super common, but I think we're definitely unique in how much we really incorporate them into someone's rehab.

It's terrific in a community setting like ours that we can give people access to this type of treatment.

Yeah. And it's also great too, we were talking about this the other day, like, we've had patients where a service dog would be really helpful for them to be able to live their life as independently as possible. And so when patients, you know, say patients with spinal cord injuries or neurodegenerative illnesses like MS, when they see some of the things that these facility dogs can do, Colette and I then have a really kind of unique role to be like, you know, this can help you. Would you consider finding out some more information? And I've actually had a patient or two go through the match process, and get matched with the dog and it's, you know, completely changed their life. So that's another cool part of being a handler too.

That's terrific. One question I had was, how do you decide which patients get the dog as part of their treatment?

So at least at Rockville, we kind of offer it to anyone who's interested.

If the therapists think it was would be appropriate, they'll sign their patient up to work with Marcy when I have her breaks. They'll also sometimes we'll just walk around the gym a little bit. And if anyone is like, I wanna pet that dog, you know, I'll kind of come over and talk and say, Hey, you know, she's working right now, but would you be interested in a session with her? So a little kind of marketing for myself there too.

But but really the therapists are the ones who kind of facilitate it. And and like doctor said, you know, I I hear, like, the best voices in my head. They're just go I'm going around and they're saying, like, she's a facility dog. She's not just a therapy dog.

And I'm, like, yes. Good job, Cassidy. Or good job, you know. Thank you, Morgan.

Just they they all really are, like, reading it out of a textbook almost. It sounds like they they have the best definitions and I I guess we, we trained them pretty well too.

We have some great ambassadors. And, I would I had the privilege of being there for the baby shower.

So I know Puppy shower.

Puppy shower. Sorry. You can't be my mom.

I'm having a baby shower.

Okay.

Mom, settle down.

It's not what we're doing here.

But, puppy shower at Rockville Rehab before we welcome Marcy over there. And, it was just quite lovely. And it was, I thought just a great way to get the staff engaged and excited and start building that proper vocabulary and getting them used to everything.

And, I can imagine they were just so thrilled when it was announced that it was Marcy and and Marcy arrived and it's evolved from there.

Right?

Oh, yeah. Everyone has welcomed her with, open arms. And I have millions of people asking me if they can take her on a walk or can they let her can she lick their yogurt cup? Can Can they have a carrot?

You know? Anything and everything is is now surrounding Marcy. You know yeah. I walk in in the morning and I'm chopped liver and everyone is is greeting Marcy, but it it's worth it to see her little butt wiggles.

That's terrific. What do you think the future of facility dogs are in terms of expanding the program or sort of embedding them into more facilities?

Talk a little bit about that. Where do where do you think this could go? Where do you think it should go?

I mean, I'm definitely hoping to do some research with Marcy as well. I think kind of going back to your earlier question, one of the unique things, I don't think there's too many facility dogs with neuropsychologists or occupational therapists. I feel like typically the the facility dogs go with, either child life specialists or recreational therapists.

Because I know when I, you you know, try and research anything in terms of OT and facility dogs, it's a very, very limited scope. So I, I do hope to do some research with her and I, I hope our program will continue to grow and, and Marcy can continue to make make more friends.

Yeah. I would like a dog for every room. On the rehab. Nice. Welcome to rehab. This is your this is your facility dog.

Take care of it.

Yeah. He he or she will be helping you meet your all your goals.

No. I think, you know, it's been such, amazing opportunity, to expand to Rockville. And I think, you know, Colette is beyond what anyone could have ever imagined in terms of being such a good handler and incorporating Marcy in such creative ways. I would really like to see one more dog in each of the rehabs. I think to have two dogs would be great, especially for White Oak since we are a forty two bed unit.

Are there any plans to?

Maybe?

It depends. There's a lot of, like, moving parts that go into it. So I would love that. I would also love to expand to outpatient at some point, but I think we just kind of have to wait and see. I think, you know, it's been awesome to get Marcy on board. And I think the more that people see how much these dogs can do and how much it can benefit patients, I'm hoping that, you know, the program will just continue to grow.

So Yeah. That's great.

And and both of their schedules are jam packed.

So, you know, there's there's definitely a need and And a wait list for them.

Yeah. No. There's really wait list for patients to get on the list to to work with them. So the more dogs, the merrier, I think.

Yeah. It's been so interesting too because we've had patients coming onto the unit that have said, like, I chose this facility because you guys have a dog.

Wow.

I can't even tell you how many times I've in in my mind, I'm like, I mean, I know I would do that if I'm if I was a patient, but that's because I'm a crazy dog person.

Right? But I it just blows me away. Like, real really? Like, you chose this facility.

And so, yeah, just to kind of speak to your point, I think growing the program would be amazing.

Well, and I think it speaks to Adventist Healthcare's holistic approach and trying things that really resonate on different levels with the patients physically, emotionally. I think, as we know, people love dogs and really respond to dogs.

We've seen it all afternoon here with with both Marcy and Peru. And so and the results, of your research speak to that as well.

So talk a little bit about the expense involved with having a facility dog. What is the cost, the cost of, introducing the dog to the facility, the cost of maintaining the dog at the facility, and how we fund that?

We're really lucky because K9 Companions offers these dogs free of charge.

Oh, that's great.

Which they are estimated to be between fifty and fifty five grand once they get placed with a handler like Colette and myself. You know, they breed the dogs. They pay for all the veterinary bills. They do professional training for six to nine months. I mean, so it's a big expense, But they are considered a pretty large gift. Right?

So once they're matched here, I think, you know, it's the monthly cost of, as they're roaming around They're running around.

Looking for any attention.

It's the the cost of, you know, the the food, the pet insurance, some of the supplies that we need monthly. So I think, you know, the cost of the program is not that much, maybe five to ten thousand a year or so.

Maybe I'd have to, like, go back and look at the numbers, but I think it's a very, it's a very small cost in comparison to the payoff Adventist receives from it.

And for those who are listening, who don't know the role of Canine Companions, can you just briefly explain their connection to the program?

Canine Companions is, one of the leading service dog organizations in the country.

So canine companions trains facility dogs, service dogs, and that is who Dr. Tropiano, I'm, I'm assuming you research different organizations and, and went with, canine companions as, as your top pick. So that's just the organization that we kind of now have a partnership with.

I like it.

That one if I can.

We never miss a pun here on Advanced HealthCare and You podcast.

Podcast.

Podcast for this episode for sure. There is a a fund, right, that helps us with the cost of the facility, dog.

Yeah. The fund is for research because to work with a statistician, to crunch some of these numbers that we get from, the research that we do is very expensive. So that and then, you know, buying out my time, Colette's time if she does research, you know, we had a physical therapist at White Oak that was very instrumental in in helping the research. So there's a lot of there's a lot of costs associated with being able to do research and then being able to disseminate it too. So, yeah, that's more so what the fund is for. But I see.

I don't think the stories you shared about the some of the patient stories and the outcomes, I think that speaks volume. Right? You know, people wanna be here and people wanna take that extra step to get up, or or put their buttons on. You know? Like, I think there's so much value in that and it's hard to quantify that, but I think the stories you shared is so helpful to, like, portray the picture.

Yeah. Yeah. And I think, you know, some of the the things that we found through the research, and I'm sure Colette is seeing this anecdotally, is that these guys are such a good active distraction for someone who is dealing with pain or, you know, fatigue or anxiety. A lot of the patients that we see are in the most vulnerable times of their lives, like having just having a stroke or having a brain bleed or spinal cord injury, right? Something that's happened to them and and, you know, so doing things like standing or using an arm that's been impacted could be really painful and really scary. And so but when they're with the dog, you know, that's it kinda just takes their mind off of it and they're able to do things that they weren't able to to do before.

So How fun is your job now compared to what it was before you had Marcy at your side?

It's really been a well, I guess if I say it's a one hundred and eighty, I didn't like my job before, but I really did.

I pretty caution. That's a hard question.

Maybe a ninety degree? Ninety degree?

It went up a lot.

I think we can summarize it by saying It went up a lot.

Really walking in with her from the second I get out of my car, there's there's someone Marcy.

And just to see how excited everyone is to see her, the staff, the patients all, you know, all hear different conversations of the patients like, oh, I got to work with Marcy yesterday. You get to work with Marcy today.

I joke that there's a Marcy club. So if, if they get to join the Marcy club, they've had a good stay. It's really changed it and made it a lot better, made my, burnout resolve. And, you know, I'm really excited just to to bring her in and kind of be the medium for these people to let them, you know, engage with her and feel the powers of Marcy.

So, so many benefits to the caregivers as well as the patients.

Oh, yeah. Absolutely.

Well, we have had a fun afternoon hanging with Marcy and Peru and both of you. And thank you so much for what you do for our patients and for these beautiful dogs. And it's always a delight to have them and you with us.

And us, remember that, and us.

Yeah. Oh, Starting with you. I just wanna acknowledge we see you.

Thank you.

Thank you so much for having us.

No one else we live in the shadows.

And then, you know, we we'd be remiss if we didn't ask Paroo and Marcy if they have something they wanted to add to the conversation here since it's been mostly about them. Ladies, what would you like to say?

Yeah, Marcy.

Oh, they had some words to share.

They did. They did. Deep, meaningful Yes. Statements here. Poignant.

Yeah. But I just wanna thank all of you as well. I know you guys make a big impact on, you know, patients, staff, all of us in general. You made my day better for sure by being here. So thank you for being here. To learn more about Adventist Healthcare's rehab, visit Adventist rehab dot com. You can also support Adventist Healthcare's rehab facility dog program by visiting giveclassy.org/richie.

Doctor Kirsten Ritchie, a physiatrist at Adventist HealthCare Rehab is raising funds for the program by climbing three mountains in three days and climbing twenty die twenty nine thousand and twenty nine feet, which is equivalent of Mount Everest vertical elevation.

Your donation supports ongoing research about the benefits of facility dogs and their continued care.

We would also like to hear from you. Let us know if you like the podcast by leaving a review, or you can email us at podcast at Adventisthealthcare.com, and let us know what HealthCare topics you would like to know more about.

Don't forget to subscribe to the podcast so you could get new episodes. Thank you, and be well.