Assisted Living Community Visit

After contacting several local nursing homes and senior residential communities about formal or informal pet therapy, students from Sherri Colan's class made a special visit to the Haddonfield Home. The Haddonfield Home is an assisted living community for senior citizens located in a residential neighborhood of Haddonfield, New Jersey.

The class made an appointment to meet Mrs. Marion Barbour and interview her about a very special cat. Before visiting, students brainstormed and prepared questions. On the day of the visit Mrs. Barbour was eagerly waiting to met with them. Mrs. Barbour is a resident senior at the Haddonfield Home. She showed the class around and answered questions about the cat and some other animals which the other residents and staff enjoy.

Here students report on their questions and answers:

Some basic facts from Nellie -
What is your cat's name? Tinkerbell
How old is your cat? 14 years old.
What breed is your cat? Tabby cat - orange and white.
Is it a boy or a girl? A girl.
How long have you had your cat? 9 years

Todd found out about the cat's previous history -
How did you get your cat?
"I got my cat through one of the Activity Directors at the Haddonfield Home (Genie)." Genie rescued the cat from an apartment building. When Mrs. Barbour first got the cat, the cat was not very friendly. It took several weeks for the cat to become friendly. Now the cat sleeps with her every night.
How does your cat interact with people?
Tinkerbell is afraid of strangers because she was abused by the lady who used to own her and after she died the cat was locked in the apartment for a long time without food or water.

Matt covered how Mrs. Barbour feels about the cat -
How does your cat make you feel?
Mrs. Barbour loves TinkerBell. She said "Tinker Bell is my family. She waits for me at the door." Mrs. Barbour enjoys having Tinkerbell and it makes her feel very good.

Melissa asked about the other residents and pet therapy -
Do the other residents participate in pet therapy? What other animals are used?
Yes, some of them like fish. There is another lady who goes into the library everyday after breakfast to look at the fish tank for about a half hour.
The Activities Director also brings in her pet ferret and many of the residents enjoy the ferret.

Assisted living communities offer a variety of different programs and services to help seniors citizens live as independently as possible.

Meal plans, laundry, cleaning, personal care, and levels of nursing care are usually available.