Older Adult Dog Walking and Older Dog Ownership Rewards (Research, Video 4:32)

Walking a dog is much more than a “business” trip. It’s commonly known that dog ownership can benefit older adults in terms of physical health benefits. But dogs can also promote a sense of community and neighborhood that expands older adults’ lives socially. Dog walking serves as an ideal activity for encouraging these opportunities.

A study including random adults over the age of 50 focused on roles of dog ownership related to 1) a sense of community and 2) neighborhood-based recreational walking. The investigation was done  through telephone and postal surveys. Frequent dog walkers were more likely than those not owning a dog to report a heightened sense of community and more neighborhood-based recreational walking. These older adults may benefit from these results through healthy aging. 

Now, what about older dogs? Did you know that they have ageism problems, too, just like humans? Most people in the market for owning a dog ignore the older ones. Usually, they want a cute puppy or young dog, not a dog that might die within a few years. Who understands dog ageism problems better than older adults? Diane and David Pierce decided to do something about this problem by creating Senior Dogs 4 Seniors. This rescue center brings older adults and older dogs together in win-win partnerships that give dogs the homes they need while giving older adults the dog ownership benefits. In addition, Senior Dogs 4 Seniors supports those who foster and adopt dogs by providing ongoing home visits and other resources that may be needed. This video features highlights of this dynamic program.

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Hospice Volunteer Vigil (Video Interview 3:46)

Hospice volunteers are being recruited daily and offering their services. People follow that path for different reasons. For many, it is a unique opportunity to serve patients at critical times in their lives. Hospice volunteering has everything to do with using good common sense and applying knowledge gained through ongoing training. 

When it comes to patients, service is about volunteers being there with them and improving their quality of life. Patients sense and appreciate their presence.

What a particular volunteer provides is important for a patient who doesn’t want to die alone. That is the reason many hospice programs are providing specialized volunteer vigil training. During vigil training, a volunteer is taught how to provide bedside support during the final days and hours of a patient’s life. Assistance for families is included. At some facilities, staff members also volunteer for vigil assignments. Vigils, which are based on a patient’s wishes, can include talking, praying, inspirational reading, playing music, performing rituals, touching and, of course, sharing silence. Reflecting the hospice philosophy, a volunteer vigil helps provide the patient with a more peaceful end-of-life experience.

In this video, Kaitlyn Maire of Central Okanagan Hospice House shares her vigil experience. She says, “I just wanted to be there for somebody to know that person didn’t have to be alone.”

Many healthcare staff members who work with dying patients will tell you they have had patients share stories about seeing dead people, ghosts, spirits they recognize, and angels. View this post for my personal story and an informative video: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/end-of-life-seeing-dead-people-angels-frances-shani-parker?trk=mp-author-card

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Should Ghost Bike Memorials Honoring Bikers Struck By Vehicles Be Removed? (Video 1:56)

Impromptu memorials honoring the dead have been around for many generations in America. These memorials often begin with a tragedy involving one or more deaths. For example, a child might be murdered or killed in a car accident. Within a short period of time, stuffed animals, flowers, balloons, cards, photographs, and other memorial displays begin to accumulate at the site where the crime or accident took place. A prayer service may be held there. The shrines and altars resulting from impromptu memorials touch many people in a personal manner and serve as powerful reminders of the deceased and the cause represented.

A ghost bike, usually a junk bike painted white and secured near the scene of a tragedy, is the memorial project of a worldwide movement for commemorating deceased or injured bikers struck down by motor vehicles. Appealing to both personal loss and moral sensibilities, ghost bike memorials have been displayed in a growing number of cities for several years. They are memorials personalized by loved ones and community members as they unfasten earthly connections with the deceased.

But this practice has not continued without controversy. Some people consider ghost bikes to be eyesores that should never be used in this manner. Others say there should be more rules in place regarding bike displays, maintenance, and removal. Concerns about ghost bike removals have been especially disturbing to those who want to commemorate deceased bikers. They say the memorials should also remain to remind drivers of important safety lessons, particularly with all the driving distractions that exist.

This video features various perspectives related to the Kelly Hurlbert ghost bike memorial. What do you think? Should ghost bike memorials be removed?

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog

Caregiver Pain Medication Management (Hospice Research, Addiction Video 1:24)

Caregivers of loved ones often feel stress in making decisions about pain medication management, especially when patients are in hospice. While hospice team members support them in their efforts, caregivers are aware of their own lack of experience as they go about implementing what they have been advised to do.

A study of hospice caregiver pain management by146 caregivers revealed the following themes:

    1)    Difficulty with administration of pain medication

    2)    Concerns about side effects of medications

    3)    Insecurity with pain assessment

    4)    Frustrations with communication among healthcare team members

    5)    Memories of unrelieved pain

Research information is important for hospice and other healthcare professionals as they support the management of pain, including emotional pain, of patients and caregiving loved ones as a unit of care. This video titled “Will my loved one become addicted to their pain medications?” explains addiction concerns of caregivers managing pain.

Health care blogs like mine and health care websites can be persuasive. They are used by many to impact the thoughts and actions of others. Is one more persuasive than the other? Here’s what the research says: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/health-blogs-vs-websites-frances-shani-parker?trk=mp-reader-card

Frances Shani Parker, Author

Becoming Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and offline booksellers.

Hospice and Nursing Homes Blog