Bro. Steven and Anita Hardin talk to the lovebirds on the second floor of the Roosevelt Building.

The Masonic Homes at Elizabethtown has gone to the dogs. And the residents couldn't be happier. Two Golden Retrievers, Daisy, a 17-month-old female, and Dubie, a 19-month-old male, moved into their new homes this summer. Dubie moved into the first floor of the Freemasons Building on Monday, July 31. Daisy moved into the third floor of the Roosevelt Building in the Masonic Health Care Center on Tuesday, Aug. 1.

The dogs have become companions to residents as part of the Eden Alternative™, an ongoing process to eliminate loneliness, helplessness, and boredom from the lives of residents in long-term care. Part of the Eden Alternative philosophy involves bringing children, animals, and plants into residents' homes to provide residents with the opportunity to care for other living things, enjoy continual companionship, and add variety and spontaneity to their everyday lives.

Both dogs came from New Life Assistance Dogs, a program of United Cerebral Palsy of Lancaster County that trains dogs for approximately eight weeks to assist individuals with limited mobility in performing everyday tasks. Then they go to a "puppy home," where volunteer owners raise the puppies until they are through their playful stage. Daisy was raised by Bro. Howard and Elizabeth Wittel, retirement living residents at the Masonic Homes, and Dubie was raised by a family in the community.

Bro. and Mrs. Wittel received Daisy when she was nine weeks old. New Life Assistance Dogs provided a list of 45 basic commands for Daisy to learn while she lived with Bro. and Mrs. Wittel. They raised her until she was 14 months old, and then they gave her away to her secondary training home, where Daisy was exposed to a different environment. After three months at her secondary home, Daisy returned to the Wittels' home for another month to go through the breaking-in process. Once the residents voted to accept the canine companions, the dogs gradually spent more time with the residents, and the residents learned how to groom and care for the dogs. Residents and staff now share the responsibilities for grooming, walking, and feeding the dogs.

According to Sandy Gingrich, New Life Assistance Dogs Program Director, Daisy and Dubie were selected for Masonic Homes because they both have separation anxiety, a condition in which the dogs do not like being alone. Not only do Daisy and Dubie bring joy to the residents, but the residents provide the dogs with the loving attention that they need to prevent separation anxiety.

According to the staff and residents, however, the dogs have already been working their magic. Residents of the first floor of the Freemasons Building have enjoyed brushing, walking, petting, and playing with Dubie. On the third floor of the Roosevelt Building, Daisy has been known to lay beside residents who are feeling under the weather, and she has already alerted staff when one gentleman fell in his room.

Not all of the new "residents" are of the four-legged variety... in fact, many of them have feathers, tiny claws, and, yes, bird brains. Yet they all have one thing in common: they make wonderful companions!

Neighborhoods of the second and fourth floors of the Roosevelt Building in the Masonic Health Care Center have brought finches into their dining areas and solariums, where residents can enjoy their company. Many residents visit the birds often and enjoy watching them, listening and talking to them, and learning their behavior patterns. A few residents have even chosen to keep birds in their rooms.

According to Cathy Misciewicz, Nurse Manager and Eden Associate, the staff has let the residents know that the birds are available if they wish to take care of them. "When they're ready, they'll ask," she said. Mrs. Misciewicz also said that the residents on the two floors did not feel ready for a dog or a cat... but the birds, though small, have been making a big difference in the neighborhoods in a very short time.

"Residents who often stayed in their rooms are coming out to watch the birds and talk with other residents. Those with birds in their rooms invite other residents in to see them," she said.

The residents and staff in the Masonic Health Care Center and the Freemasons Building are continuing to work together to decide whether they would like to invite more "companions" into their homes.

"Each neighborhood (all units and floors are commonly called neighborhoods, to reflect the homelike atmosphere that the Eden Alternative promotes) has to agree on what type of animal they want to bring in and how they will care for the animal," said Lori Seiders, Director of Organization, Development and Training, and an Eden Associate. "Once that is accomplished, the neighborhoods put in their requests and our committees work to fulfill them."

For more information about the Eden Alternative at the Masonic Homes, call (717) 367-1121, extension 33139.

Mrs. Anna Sweigart pets Daisy, neighborhood dog on the third floor of the Roosevelt Building.