Pet therapy bringing smiles to sick kids at BHC

With his tail wagging, ambassador of the Animal Assisted Recovery Care (AARC) project, Dr Teddy Barks, happily greeted multiple patients at the Bustamante Hospital for Children (BHC) on Thursday, most of whom, despite being sick, instantly became excited to see him.

The two-year-old golden retriever was the dog of the hour as the hospital celebrated the one-year anniversary for AARC, the first programme of its kind in the country. The programme sees various animals bringing comfort to patients at the hospital. The majority of the patients who interact with the animals are boys, and next to Teddy, they have a strong connection to two ball pythons, Patches and Alex. The animal therapy project was introduced to the hospital last December and was the brainchild of Dr Marsha James in association with the Ministry of Health and Wellness. So far the animals visit the hospital every third Thursday of the month, yielding positive results, not only for the patients, but the staff as well. This was on full display on Thursday, where children as young as nine-month-old Azora Richardson and one-year-old Kameron Stewart got the opportunity to interact with Teddy, Patches and Alex. There were also three rabbits, two puppies who were later adopted, one cat named Shae, a hamster named Hammy, and a turtle named Sparkles.

But for three-year-old Marc Mignott, who has nephrotic syndrome, a kidney condition, hugging Teddy was the highlight of his day. His mother said that she was elated he could have the experience because there were clear signs of its impact.

“It’s a good experience, good interaction. You know they’re away from home for a little while and they’re used to this type of outdoor activity,” Sherean Foster told THE WEEKEND STAR adding that the interaction with Teddy instantly shifted Marc’s mood.

“He’s a lover of pets so having this with these babies, it gives them a good sense of comfort,” Foster said.

Azora’s father, Javoury Richardson, was pleased to see his daughter, who has spent most of her young life in the hospital, have a pleasant interaction with a puppy.

“This is something new, but based on her interaction, I’ve seen in improvement in her. So I’m looking forward to it happening more,” Richardson said.

James told THE WEEKEND STAR that for patients to interact with the animals, they must be approved by a doctor and meet all the criteria.

“One of them is allergy to pets, if you’re asthmatic, if you have allergic rhinitis, if your white blood cell count is low –. so that would apply to our oncology patients — [or] if you have an aversion to animals, because the animal may pick up on that fear. So we screen the patients as well before,” she explained.

CEO of the hospital, Anthony Wood, told the news team that the children and parents never have to fear about safety because there are handlers for each animal and veterinarians present. All patients are welcomed to enjoy the experience.

“While they’re here getting their treatment, once they are not being treated by the doctor, they can come out. When we have programmes like these, they interact with the animals. So I believe it’s a very good programme and I believe it’s a programme that will last because we see the benefit coming from it,” Wood said.

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