Volume 17, No. 1, Winter 2009
By Joanne Seifart, R.N., C, CHPN
K.C., a 10-year-old dachshund from West Hyannisport, may not realize that he’s an active participant in a cutting edge hospice and palliative care program here on the Cape. On the other hand, from personal experience, he can relate to pain and suffering and maybe that’s why he’s so effective.
Mistreated by his past owners, K.C. was rescued by the Almost Home Dachshund Rescue Society and adopted by Leslie Prouty, a West Hyannisport resident. Having had dachshunds all her life, including one that was paralyzed from the waist down, Leslie was not afraid to take on another special needs dog.
K.C. had just started to enjoy life at his new home when, two days after his adoption, he suddenly fell over while playing and couldn’t stand up. He was rushed to the hospital where Ms. Prouty was told he needed a $5,000 surgery to repair severely damaged discs in his vertebrae. K.C. faced only a 50/50 chance of survival and the possibility of never fully recovering his mobility, but Ms. Prouty instructed the vet to move forward with the surgery.
Within one week, K.C. was walking around.
Now, we move on to K.C.’s new role as a therapy dog.
Ms. Prouty, it so happens, is a volunteer with Beacon Hospice, which serves local patients out of its Yarmouthport office. “We have created what we call the Deep Harbors program, a first-of-its-kind research-based program designed to improve the quality of life for end-stage dementia (ESD) patients,” she explains..
Only a few years in existence, the Deep Harbors program has been deemed a national paradigm of care by the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization in its official guidelines for care. We feel it has produced some extremely positive results.
One of the highlights of the Deep Harbors program involves healing touch and massage. This can have many benefits for ESD patients, including stress reduction, improved circulation, pain relief, and emotional support. It also features patient visits from Ms. Prouty and her associate, K.C., who’s been dubbed “Wonder Woof” by the two-legged staff.
One of K.C.’s success stories involves a patient who was typically unresponsive and highly agitated .Yet she was put at ease and even spoke for the first time in months after K.C. was placed in her lap to pet. Recognizing the powerful impact K.C. makes, he and Ms. Prouty now visit numerous patients every week in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or at home.
Other elements in the Deep Harbors program involve music therapy, which has been shown to have a powerful effect, stirring memories, creating a calming effect, and improving behavior; specialized feedings, since ESD patients often experience extreme difficulty eating and lose the ability to swallow; emotional support, which also involves staff work with family members to conduct a “life review” that provides an opportunity to relive happy memories; and a personalized “ditty box” that contains items to aid in patient care and comfort.
While the final outcome cannot be changed, Deep Harbors improves the quality of life during the very late stages of dementia and K.C. plays a part.
(Ms. Seifart is VP of Product Development and Program Manager for the Deep Harbors program at Beacon Hospice, 508-778-1622.)