Hospice of Kona - Kokua Canine - Therapy Dog Program

SPIKE

Spike

MAILE

Maile

JOJO

JoJo

GINGER

Ginger

Shaking a furry paw or stroking a floppy ear can be the best medicine

When calm, friendly, loving and well-behaved dogs visit and interact with patients and family members who enjoy animals they may improve the quality of life for each of them.

People of all ages, with all kinds of physical limitations, will open up to an animal. “They'll talk to a dog, they'll be more comfortable around a dog, their blood pressure may go down, they'll smile, and their affect will change.”

The Kokua Canine program is comprised of teams of volunteers and their pets who may take the patient's mind off their problem for however long they are there. The team is there to make people smile and give them a little relief for a short time. Benefits are many.

Physical benefits: Exercise, pleasurable input, sensory stimulation, decreased blood pressure, comfort of touch, distraction from pain and distress.

Emotional benefits: Unconditional love and attention from the pet, spontaneous expression of emotion from the patient, reduced loneliness, decreased anxiety, increased relaxation.

Social benefits: Recreation, diversion and relief from boredom, monotony or isolation as well as the opportunity to communicate with the pet regardless of speech or hearing problems.

Cognitive benefits: Exercise of long and short-term memory with recollection and comparison of past experiences with program pets and/or their own household pets.

The dogs will have a well mannered reference letter from their veterinarian. They will also be interviewed with their guardian by the Hospice staff. The dogs will be current with their vaccinations, heartworm and flea prevention along with being freshly groomed and nails trimmed.

To make an appointment for a dog visit or more information call Barbara Coffman, MSW with Hospice of Kona at 324-7700.

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