You can watch Therapy Dogs or take that First Aid course you've always wanted to register for - you're home all day aren't you?

News 100 yellowBy Pepper Parr

April 20th, 2020

BURLINGTON, ON

 

Everyone knows who the St. John Ambulance organization is – they are the people who give the First Aid course – or is that the Red Cross?

During this time of physical distancing, their Therapy Dogs of course cannot provide their usual canine comfort and care by visiting in person. However, they can still help break the sense of isolation and show the people we service how much we care, through ‘virtual visits’.

ST.jOHN DOG WITHMAN

Therapy dogs make the days of people who are in a long term care home when they visit.

In mid-March, they set up a St. John Ambulance Digital Therapy Dogs YouTube channel and invited our volunteers to submit video ‘letters’ about their dog. This was a chance to show the activities the dogs like to do when not being a Therapy Dog, as well as express how much we miss the people we’d normally visit.

The response had been tremendous, with over a hundred videos already uploaded, with more to come. We sent the word out to facility recreation program staff, and they’ve been loving the videos very much! They play them on a large screen in some cases, or help residents watch them on a tablet or computer.

Some of our teams have also sent regular newsletters that are printed and shared, while others send their video directly to the home they visit, in addition to uploading it on the YouTube channel. The diversity of the ‘virtual visits’ is part of the magic – you can take a sunny walk with Buddy and Charlie at the beach, watch Harvey unroll his yoga mat, see Bailey play with Piper, laugh while Ken battles Victoria for the ball, and be smitten by Finn as he shares his talent for fashion.

Discover your favourite Therapy Dog by visiting the YouTube Channel CLICK HERE

With almost 2000 therapy dog teams in Ontario, serving over 3100 facilities across the Province the Therapy Dog Program reaches out to thousands of people on a daily basis, bringing comfort, joy and companionship to those who are sick, lonely and residing in full-time care facilities. Clients reap the therapeutic benefits of the unconditional love of these four-legged friends.

St john girl with dog

Kids who need some distraction cab be taken away from their problems by playing with a therapy dog.

“St. John Ambulance Therapy Dogs offer assistance in programs for youth at risk, and help build self-esteem for those in correctional facilities. They can provide relief and a welcomed distraction to those waiting for radiation or chemotherapy treatment, and very sick children being treated in hospitals, as well as to people who are displaced and frightened during an emergency evacuation.

“And there is no doubt that people find it easier to express their deepest emotions and put into words their hopes and fears while hugging a dog, so we find our teams working with the Military, Police and Fire Departments, social workers, psychologist and psychiatrists to help victims of critical incident stress, crime, tragedy and abuse, overcome their challenges.”

St John first aid 2 people

At almost every major public event – there is a St. John Ambulance on standby.

St. John Ambulance offers a free on-line First Aid Awareness course to all Ontarians.  In times of social distancing, accidents and injuries can still happen in the home or at the cottage. Right now, St. John Ambulance offers a free on-line course entitled: First Aid Awareness.

Their aim is to keep First Aid knowledge fresh in the minds of those who cannot take part in classroom training. Knowing what to do in an emergency can save someone’s life, and often, that life is someone you know and love.

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