Easing the pain—pet therapy fosters healing in patients

Our furry companions are known as man’s best friend, but the benefits of a therapy dog reach far beyond companionship. There are social, emotional and physical implications that have an enormous impact on an individual’s health and well-being. Ridgeview recognizes and supports this through its pet therapy program.

Ridgeview established its pet therapy program in 2011 to memorialize Ann Mortenson, a valued Ridgeview employee and loyal volunteer who was a driving force in the development of the program. Ridgeview’s program currently includes three volunteer pups—Bo, Heiki and Miss Charlee Mae, who bring joy—and healing—to patients and staff through regular visits at Ridgeview’s four hospital campuses in Arlington, Chaska, Le Sueur and Waconia.

Becoming a volunteer pet therapy dog

Ridgeview’s therapy dogs and handlers are certified through Pet Partners following comprehensive coursework that focuses on skills and strategies necessary to work in settings like hospitals. Education topics include confidentiality, infection control and effective communication. The handler and their pet are evaluated on teamwork, sociability and aptitude for visiting people in different scenarios.

Candace Wostrel-Glatch’s Labrador, Miss Charlee Mae, has been a certified pet therapy dog since 2018. She completed a two-year training process to become certified, which she began as a puppy at eight weeks old. Miss Charlee Mae now visits patients at Ridgeview, Children’s Minnesota, Park Nicollet and the VA Medical Center.

Benefits of pet therapy in health care settings

Visits with therapy pets have been shown to reduce stress, promote healing, lower blood pressure, and decrease anxiety and depression. “Miss Charlee Mae has a knack for calming nerves. She is often found comforting a patient before a procedure or when they are nervous about having an IV placed or a shot administered,” Candace said.

“During one of her visits, an Urgent Care patient had a blood pressure of 191/157, putting her in hypertensive crisis. After spending five minutes with Miss Charlee Mae, the patient’s blood pressure dropped to 135/80, which kept her from being transferred to the Emergency Department—proving just how well pet therapy works,” Candace explained.

Rewards reaching beyond the patients

The benefits that pet therapy dogs provide don’t end with the patients—health care workers often find these visits equally rewarding. During a time when devoted staff have been working the frontlines through the pandemic, these visits from Bo, Heiki and Miss Charlee Mae have truly lifted spirits.

Candace says she has learned a lot from Miss Charlee Mae’s interactions and ability to calm patients. Many of these skills she has been able to apply in her own career as an RN at Ridgeview’s Emergency Department at Two Twelve Medical Center in Chaska.

To learn more about Ridgeview’s volunteer programs, visit ridgeviewmedical.org/about-us/volunteer.