HOSPICE VOLUNTEERS with Pet Therapy Certification

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Gentiva Hospice is seeking volunteers and their pets to provide pet therapy to our patients in a home or home-like setting.Requirements: Your pet must have the following: pet therapy certification, liability insurance, annual health check and current on all vaccinations.Visiting with animals can help people feel less lonely, and less depressed. Visits from dogs can provide a welcome change from routine, or the renewal of old friendships. An animal visit can offer entertainment, or a welcome distraction from pain and infirmity. People often talk to the dogs, and share with them their thoughts and feelings and memories. Animal visits provide something to look forward to. Petting encourages use of hands and arms, stretching and turning. The pet makes it easier for two strangers to talk. It gives people a common interest and provides a focus for conversation. Many people have had to give up pet ownership and they miss the casual acceptance a pet gives them. A dog pays little attention to age or physical ability, but accepts people as they are. The benefits continue even after the visit. The visit leaves behind memories not only of the visit, but of past experiences. It offers something for people to share.