Community Update

At The Oscar & Ella Wilf
Campus for Senior Living in Somerset, the interaction between man’s best friend
and residents of Stein Assisted Living and the Jaffa Gate Memory Care
Neighborhood has healing powers.

The facility’s Pet Therapy
program, which operates on a volunteer basis, welcomes specially trained dogs
like a golden retriever named “Butterfly” owned by Kathy Burr and a Westie
named “Georgie” owned by Helene Nee to brighten the spirits and lighten the
hearts of seniors.

Susan Harris, Chief Executive
Officer at The Oscar & Ella Wilf Campus for Senior Living, who served as a director
of activities at other locations said, “I know first-hand how amazingly effective
pet therapy can be for a senior.”

“Dogs (and cats too) have
tremendous empathy and are trained to be careful and gentle,” she said.

“Just petting the dog can be a
heart-warming experience. And, some of the residents who normally may not even
utter a word will talk to that dog,” she noted.

Jackie Kott, Director of
Recreation, said that at the assisted living the program runs in a casual
manner with the dogs interacting freely with the seniors in the living room or
the library.

“In our memory-impaired neighborhood
it is more structured with a small group containing a limited number of 8 to 10
of our residents in one group,” she said.

Harris and Kott have witnessed
first-hand how a visit with Butterfly or Georgie can instantly lift the spirits
of residents and even stir old, fond memories of a beloved pet.

“Their reactions are
unbelievable. Pet therapy is magical,” Kott said, adding that a resident who is
normally not responsive will have their eyes brighten the instant their hand is
placed on one of the dogs.

Studies
have proven that interacting with a pet can lower blood pressure, increase
serotonin levels and reduce the risk for heart disease. Pets also provide
companionship and increase the opportunity for social interaction.

Butterfly
has been especially popular among residents Faye Bradus, Shirley Zinker and Jeanne
Leibowitz.

“Butterfly is “beautiful, gentle,
kissable, and loveable,” they all commented. “We love to see her tail wagging,
it never stops wagging.”

Butterfly’s owner, Kathy Burr, who
began pet therapy around 1998, enjoys seeing how her dog gives the residents
something to talk about, keeping them engaged and excited.

“The thing that most impresses me
is that residents who may not feel comfortable interacting with others will
want to interact with the dog,” she said. “Even those who are afraid of dogs
enjoy watching Butterfly visit and encounter other residents.”

Dogs don’t ask hard questions or
pass judgments or criticisms,” she added. “They are just there to be loved and
petted and that seems to be why so many of us gravitate toward them.”

The Oscar and Ella Wilf Campus
for Senior Living is comprised of The Martin and Edith Stein Assisted Living
Residence which includes Jaffa Gate Memory Care neighborhood, The Martin and
Edith Stein Hospice, The Lena and David T. Wilentz Senior Residence, Wilf
Transport, Wilf At Home, and The Foundation at the Wilf Campus. For more
information contact us at 732-568-1155, info@wilfcampus.org or visit us at www.wilfcampus.org