‘Therapy’ at Hill Lodge like nothing you’ve seen be-fur

Posted 4/1/16

Kim Kieffer relaxes at home with Jill, whom she rescued from a humane group in Delaware County called Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue, which she used to volunteer for. by Len Lear In several scientific …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

‘Therapy’ at Hill Lodge like nothing you’ve seen be-fur

Posted
Kim Kieffer relaxes at home with Jill, whom she rescued from a humane group in Delaware County called Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue, which she used to volunteer for. Kim Kieffer relaxes at home with Jill, whom she rescued from a humane group in Delaware County called Diamonds in the Ruff Rescue, which she used to volunteer for.

by Len Lear

In several scientific studies in recent years, it has been established beyond any doubt that pet therapy can actually lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, release endorphins (oxytocin) that have a calming effect, diminish overall physical pain, reduce the amount of medication some people need, lift spirits and lessen depression, increase socialization, reduce boredom, lower anxiety and much more.

But none of this will come as any news to the residents and staff at Chestnut Hill Lodge, a skilled nursing home at 8833 Stenton Ave. in Wyndmoor. Kim Kieffer, the facility’s assistant business office manager and Medicaid specialist, has worked there for eight years, but for five years she has been bringing her dogs into the property to interact with residents, at least one every day. The results have been nothing short of a miracle.

To cite just one example, “There is a resident here who is just 62 years old,” said Kim. “She had a stroke several years ago, and that is why she had to be placed here. She cries all the time. She walks around the facility and just cries. The effects of the stroke have been terrible, but she breaks into a huge smile when she sees the dogs.

“It’s one of the few times during the day that she stops crying. She loves to see them and pet them and just spend time with them. There is another resident who has Down Syndrome. She holds the dogs and kisses them and tells them that she loves them. It’s funny because when she is holding one of the dogs, she doesn’t want anyone else to touch them. She is very possessive of her time with them. She always says to them ‘I love you puppy. I love you.’ It’s an amazing thing to see.”

Kim, 37, a graduate of Villa Joseph Marie High School and Shippensburg University (degree in criminal justice), is a lifelong animal lover who has six dogs. They are not certified therapy dogs, “just very friendly dogs who love the extra attention and love they get after rough starts in their own lives.”

Kim has brought them all into the home at one time or another (supervisors and coworkers there and at their corporate office have always been supportive), but the two dogs that residents love the most are severely disabled themselves. For example, Tootsie a black and tan Dachshund female who is 5, is blind in her right eye and wobbles when she walks due to intervertebral disc disease. She had surgery to correct it but still has a wobble in her walk. She is extremely sweet and loves the attention from the residents.

Jett, a male red Dachshund/Chihuahua mix who is almost 6, also has intervertebral disc disease. He has not had surgery. He is incontinent and usually wears a diaper. He has made great strides and can actually wag his tail and take a few steps but most of the time just drags his legs in the back. They are both fosters from a local Dachshund rescue organization. (Kim asked that we not mention the name of the organization.)

“The residents can relate to these dogs on a higher level,” said Kim, “since they see that, just like them, the dogs are working to overcome physical trials and that they too have impairments that they are working through.

Kim’s son, Mike, was thrilled when his mom rescued Tootsie from a Dachshund rescue group in the area, for which Kim currently volunteers. Kim’s son, Mike, was thrilled when his mom rescued Tootsie from a Dachshund rescue group in the area, for which Kim currently volunteers.[/caption]

“It’s amazing how seeing dogs with similar disabilities moves a person. A resident named Ms. Pownall, for example, had Boston Terriers her entire life and had one when she came to the nursing home that went to live with her daughter. She brightens just at the sight of the dogs.

“The residents absolutely adore them. Every time that I go upstairs (my office is in the basement on a non-residential floor), they ask me where the dogs are and when they will be upstairs. The competent residents will even ask me about the dogs that don’t come in anymore.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t have a resident ask me, ‘How’s George?’ or ‘What has Poker been up to?’ I have a lot of the residents reminisce about their own dogs or cats that they had to leave behind or even the pets their families have. Many of them miss their animals at home so much. It’s really heartbreaking.”

In her spare time, Kim spends time with her son and husband, hangs out with friends at Connolly’s Pub in Hatboro, where she lives, volunteers for the Dachshund rescue organization she got her dogs from and watches old movies. (She LOVES old Hollywood — Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, etc.!)

But Kim’s dream would be “to have a huge farm with lots of land so that I could rescue more dogs. My husband always jokes that he never wants to buy a bigger house because it would just give me an excuse to get more dogs.”

If Kim could meet and spend time with anyone on earth, who would it be? “Comedian Ricky Gervais. I know its an odd choice, but I follow him on Facebook, and he is a lot like me. Smart, a bit rough around the edges, a good deal irreverent and does a HUGE amount for animal causes. I think he’d been a genuinely fun guy to grab a beer with.”

For more information about Chestnut Hill Lodge, call 215-402-7282 or www.chestnuthillhc.com.

featured, locallife, pets