MELFORT鈥� Patches the cat isn鈥檛 your usual resident at Parkland Place鈥檚 Memory Care house, but a beloved one.
Memory Care house is a home for residents with memory issues, such as dementia or alzheimer鈥檚 disease. Currently there are 18 residents 鈥� excluding Patches.
Patches doesn鈥檛 have memory issues, nor opposable thumbs, but Memory Care house is her home.
鈥淪he feels very at home in that house because that鈥檚 all she鈥檚 ever known,鈥� said Jacquie Sundelin, recreation therapist with Parkland Place. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very fortunate; staff have been just wonderful too. They have looked after her and they bring her treats.鈥�
It was September 2017, when the residents first met their would-be tiniest resident 鈥� a six week old stray.
鈥淪he found us, she found our patio and the residents started feeding her,鈥� Sundelin said.
Before long, the weather grew cold, too cold for a kitten like Patches, so the residents opened the door and let the kitten inside.
鈥淭hey opened the door and in she came, and she hasn鈥檛 left,鈥� she said, before laughing.
鈥淲e took her and got all of her shots.鈥澛犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅犅�
Now a three year old, Patches goes from resident to resident throughout the day, sleeping in beds with the ones who want her to.
鈥淪he just makes sure all her people are good,鈥� Sundelin said. 鈥淪he lays in bed with them, and sits on their lap and they can pet her.鈥�
When she isn鈥檛 laying on laps or beds, she roams throughout the house, sitting on the patio from time to time 鈥� staying near her humans.
Sundelin said Patches has been an asset to the house, providing a calming environment for the residents.
鈥淚t makes them reminisce about when they had a cat at home, brings back old memories,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e have some residents that have some behavioral problems and were violent and we didn鈥檛 need to intervene with medications or anything because of the cat鈥� It had a calming effect on them.鈥�
Sundelin said there was one instance in particular where a resident with dementia had a聽 violent outburst.
鈥淎ll we had to say is, 鈥榃here鈥檚 the kitty? Where鈥檚 Patches?鈥� As soon as he saw that cat he became a different person and totally calmed down. He sat and pet the cat and forgot what he was upset about.鈥�
In Sundelin鈥檚 professional opinion, she believes Patches takes the residents to a different time.
鈥淗e may have been a cat lover when he was younger, or had his own cat.鈥�
Residents take part in her feedings, with the help of staff 鈥� who also give her some treats on the side.
鈥淪he has his own designated area where she does the business and gets fed,鈥� Sundelin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in a safe place, but the residents are able to feed the cat, because it鈥檚 their cat.
She gets many treats.鈥�
Due to the success with Patches, Sundelin hopes to someday have small residents for all the Parkland Place homes who would like one.
鈥淲e have 105 residents in total. We have six different houses,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e have animals that visit right now; we just weren鈥檛 sure how an animal living here would make out. So we wanted to make sure we did some of the groundwork done before we go and get another pet.鈥�
Sundelin said there isn鈥檛 a timetable for this, but rather 鈥渨hen opportunity comes about鈥�.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very therapeutic for our residents and they love the animals here.鈥�
