Animals becoming popular at some senior centers

More senior centers across the Wasatch Front are turning to animal-assisted activities for their residents.

Recently, the Silverado Senior Living Center in Holladay made national news when USA Today focused on its 8-month-old kangaroo, Marlee. The eyes of residents like Joseph Newman light up when they hold her.

"Oh, I think she's wonderful," he said. Marlee tried to hide under his arm while I was talking to him. He just said, "She's bashful."

But out of all the animals in the world, why a kangaroo?

Center Administrator Noralyn Snow said, "Marlee makes the residents smile. She'll hop down the hall and make them smile; they can sit her on their lap and feed her a bottle."

Snow says Marlee and their other animals do more than just make residents smile.

There have been other bizarre animal at Silverado. Twin goats and a pot-belly pig have lived at the facility before. Plus, residents get to bring their pets with them, as long as they've had the proper shots and they get along with the other animals.

Silverado has long had pets as a therapeutic tool for elderly residents. But recently it's become one of a couple of dozen centers along the Wasatch Front to allow residents who are moving in to bring their fuzzy companions with them to live here permanently.

Noralyn Snow said, "They've lost so much. They have to leave their homes; sometimes they've lost valuables that are important to them. But if they can bring that pet who they love, who is actually a member of the family to live with them, it makes the transition easier and it's their part of life that they can bring with them."

That's what Doss Dean did. He brought Gi Gi with him. She's made the world of difference is his adjustment to a new place to live. "Great companion," Dean said. "I would really miss her if I didn't have her. She lives with me night and day."

In all, seven dogs, six cats, 40 birds and the kangaroo roam the halls. For those residents who don't have a pet or couldn't bring an animal with them, there are enough to satisfy the needs for companionship. And it's not cheap! "Probably at least $2,000 per month, and then on top of that I have a full-time pet person who works five days a week taking care of the animals," Snow said.

If someone is immobile, a staff member will take their dog for a walk or assist the resident if they can walk outside even for just a while.

In the case of one animal, Parker, the owner recently passed away. So now Parker is a full-time resident of Silverado. He's taken the place of his owner. He can live out his life here.

"The pets accept you whether you have your makeup on, whether you're old or young, whether you have a memory or don't. They love you all the time," Snow said.

This isn't the only center that says pets are welcome.

Golden Living Taylorsville Administrator Carolyn Tinkham said, "Most of these pets have been like children [to residents]. They have belonged to these families for many, many years."

Tinkham says residents have brought in six cats, three dogs and a bird.

"If you're going to move, you don't want to leave your children behind," she said.

So many centers are asking for animals to visit, facilities that train volunteers are having trouble keeping up with demand.

Utah Animal Assisted Therapy Association Executive Director Gaelyn Derr said, "People love to share their animals because people who have pets feel the therapy of their own pet."

But Derr says she does have a warning for centers that house animals. She says residents try to feed the animals things they shouldn't eat.

"We have some teams that go into a facility in downtown Salt Lake, and there's a woman who saves up food. It might be two weeks old, a peanut butter sandwich," she says.

Derr says the animals' trainers are taught how to keep these scraps from actually being eaten.

E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
E-mail: eyeates@ksl.com

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