Current Edition Summer 2012 May 22, 2013

Helping Hands

Sisters Create Pets for Alzheimers Patients

In observing and taking care of their mother, Betty, an Alzheimers victim, Bettina Dickson Rusher and Frances Dickson, sisters and Chi Omega Sisters from Gamma Theta/Eastern Kentucky U, discovered a way to provide comfort to others with the disease.

An animal lover, Betty was unable to take her beloved cat, Caldonia, with her when she moved to an assisted living facility. Attempting to relieve this trauma, the sisters created a look-alike stuffed cat for their mother. When Betty began carrying her “pet” everywhere, the staff asked Bettina to get a big, fluffy, stuffed gray cat for a new resident who also had to give up a cherished pet.

“But,” Bettina said, “there was no company we could find that had stuffed animals for the Alzheimers community.” Hence, to comfort dementia patients, the sisters created Memorable Pets—sturdy, lightweight, washable stuffed animals in a variety of colors and breeds.

“As we looked into developing Memorable Pets,” said Bettina, “we found research that shows while memory, language, and cognition significantly decline in Alzheimers patients, the emotional centers of the brain remain strong. This means the need to give love and care is significant and can provide comfort. This, and the comfort our mother experienced with her plush calico cat, was enough to get us busy with Memorable Pets.”

A portion of Memorable Pets sales go to Alzheimers research. You’ll find additional information and a photo of Betty and her daughters at www.memorablepets.com.
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