Contact dog Grietje is extremely popular with residents and staff of nursing home De Nieuwe Hoeven in Schaijk. The cuddly labradoodle is trained as a contact dog and is used to cheer up residents with dementia. Supervisor Lieke, together with her dog, makes many people shine again.
Caregiver Jamie Verstraaten sometimes fails to get Frans out of bed with dementia. But as soon as Lieke appears with contact dog Grietje, everything changes. What Jamie can’t do, the dog can do. Wagging her tail, she jumps onto Frans’ bed. He is visibly happy to see the dog and immediately starts petting her.
“I’ve always had a dog,” he says. Five minutes later he is dressed next to his bed to go for a walk. Moreover, a visit from Grietje often ensures that someone with dementia feels a lot better for the rest of the day.
“It’s really nice to see what the dog does to people.”
The contact dogs trained by the Stay in Heeschwijk-Dinther foundation make the difference. “It’s really nice to see what the dog does to people,” says caretaker Jamie.
“It affects the atmosphere in the nursing home,” says dog handler Lieke: “If I come alone, the atmosphere can sometimes be distant. But as soon as I bring Grietje with me, that is different, then a sweet dog approaches them, who doesn’t ask anything of them and only wants good.”
“Gretel immediately notices when someone is sad.”
Grietje also signals the feelings of residents. Lieke: “Grietje immediately notices when someone is sad and gives signals. This allows us to respond to those feelings together. People forget the worries around them for a while and feel good again.
The contact dogs are now a great success and are used in places such as Schaijk, Erp and Uden. But the Stay foundation has dogs all over the Netherlands. “The results are very good. We also receive more and more requests. The whole atmosphere in a department changes with a dog,” says Twanneke Hertsenberg of the Stay foundation.
Care manager Monique Weise of Brabant Zorg, which includes De Nieuwe Hoeven: “Care for people with dementia is quite intense and complex. With the use of Lieke and contact dog Grietje, we see wonderful results. If we use Grietje, something will happen with our residents. They respond and make contact, while otherwise it is sometimes quite difficult. When Grietje comes in, all attention immediately goes to her. That is fantastic to see!”
