[nagdu] . Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort tohospice patients.

[Ally Matt]

I think it is great that these two have found a niche to volunteer in. I'm
sure the dogs are a valued part of the process for the patients even though
they can't interact with the dogs. I am about to finish my degree in
counseling, and as I have done my practicum and intership experiences I have
had wonderful responses from clients toward my dog. I've even had people
request to meet with the counselor with the dog. I think for many people
having an animal in the room is a calming experience, and sometimes it
lightens the heavy mood when he snores or lets out huge sighs. The clients
often say he knows just how they are feeling. 

Ally and Allstar 

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of PICKRELL, REBECCA M (TASC)
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 11:56 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] . Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort
tohospice patients.

How so? What was wrong with this article? 
I don't have the emotional strength to do what Art and Linda do. 
Hats off to them. 


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Steven Johnson
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011 6:07 AM
To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users'
Subject: Re: [nagdu] . Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort
tohospice patients.

What these people are doing is great, but how the media/newspaper continues
to portray blind people is pathetic.  

JMO,
Steve

-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
Of Melissa Green
Sent: Sunday, June 12, 2011 11:42 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Subject: Re: [nagdu] . Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort
tohospice patients.

Grate work.
Thank you for sharig this article.

Blessings!
Melissa Green
Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are 
strong enough to let go.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Arthur Nolden" <anolden at tampabay.rr.com>
To: "NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, June 11, 2011 10:04 PM
Subject: [nagdu] . Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort 
tohospice patients.


>
>
>
> June 11, 2011 1:03 PM
> Subject:  Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort to hospice 
> patients.
>
>
> The St. Petersburg Times, Florida -Sunday, June 12, 2011.
> ------------
> Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort to hospice patients.
>
> NEW PORT RICHEY, Florida:
>
>
>
>
http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/couple-face-their-own-challenges-
by-giving-comfort-to-hospice-patients/1174810
>
>
>
>
>
> The St. Petersburg Times, Florida -Sunday, June 12, 2011.
>
>
>
> Couple face their own challenges by giving comfort to hospice patients.
>
>
>
> NEW PORT RICHEY, FLORDA:
>
>
>
> Their phone rang shortly before 9 pm Thursday.
>
>
> A patient was dying, and Art Nolden and Linda Knight didn't hesitate. They

> had received special training for such moments.
>
>
> They called a taxi, loaded up their guide  dogs and headed to HPH 
> Hospice's Marliere Care Center.
>
> As "11th-hour volunteers,'' they sat through the night with the patient.
>
> "We talked about the sun, the rain, the dogs,'' Nolden offered the next 
> day, chipper despite the duty that kept them at the center until 4:15 am. 
> "Sometimes
>
> the silence was very important.''
>
> Giving comfort at life's end gives special meaning to this New Port Richey

> couple who have ignored their own physical challenges to become beloved 
> volunteers
>
> at the hospice where everyone knows them by their first names.
>
> Linda is hearing impaired and blind and relies on Shirley, a 5-year-old 
> golden Labrador mix. Art is able to perceive light but objects once clear 
> are now
>
> only blurs. JJ, a 4-year-old golden retriever, is his working companion. 
> The four of them show up at the Marliere Care Center four hours every 
> Wednesday,
>
> rarely missing a day. Linda has racked up 218 volunteer hours, Art 227.
>
> "It astonishes me and touches my heart. They have so many of their own 
> challenges to contend with but they're as reliable as the sunshine," says 
> Sheena
>
> Thompson, HPH Hospice volunteer coordinator, who first met them while 
> making a presentation to the local Lion's Club. Art and Linda are members.
>
> Following the presentation, they approached Thompson and asked what they 
> could do as volunteers. Thompson appreciated their sincerity and during 
> two days
>
> of training witnessed their strengths. Linda is keenly aware of patient 
> needs. She knows when to listen and when to talk and she knows when to 
> stay with a patient and when to leave.
>
> Art's humor adds a light touch and he makes sure patients are aware of 
> Linda's disability, gently encouraging them to speak a bit louder and 
> slower. JJ and Shirley lead them through hallways and into patients' 
> rooms. There the golden canines with mellow eyes sprawl, still and silent.
>
> "Patients are interested in the dogs. They ask us about them, and talking 
> to patients about our situations takes them, for a time, out of their 
> situation.
>
> It's rewarding and I find the patients inspiring," Linda said.
>
> Their own challenges make them especially sensitive to the needs of 
> others. Linda was blind from birth, almost three months premature. She had

> hearing aids before she was 5. Years later, in 2002, she received her 
> first cochlear  mplant, the second in 2004.
>
> "Being able to hear opens many doors,'' she said. "It's a never ending 
> journey. When you lose your hearing and your vision you become isolated to

> yourself."
>
> Linda, 54, attended Alabama State School for the Blind. In 1967, her 
> parents realized Florida schools were including students with all 
> limitations in mainstream classes. The family moved to Pensacola and Linda

> graduated from Escambia High school in 1976. She attended Florida State 
> University for one year, then transferred to Pensacola Junior College.
>
> She volunteered for a time as a telephone operator at the VA Outpatient 
> Clinic in Pensacola, compensating for her lost vision by memorizing phone 
> numbers.
>
> She married, raised a son and a daughter and has three grandchildren, a 
> fourth expected soon. She divorced and reclaimed her maiden name.
>
> Art, 67, lost vision from optic nerve atrophy, a condition that began when

> he was a first-grader. Art married, had a son and daughter and served as 
> District Court Clerk on Long Island for many years, promotions coming 
> frequently. His vision worsened and forced him to retire.
>
> Divorced and tired of the New York cold, Art headed south in 1988, joining

> his parents who lived in Port Richey. He learned about Lighthouse for the 
> Blind and Visually Impaired and served three years on its board of 
> directors from 1994-1996. His classification as "legally blind" qualified 
> him for a guide dog.
>
> In June 2000 he attended a guide dog class in Palmetto. He met Linda, who 
> was attending the class from Columbus, Ga.
>
> "With 16 people and 16 dogs, it was often hard for Linda to hear the 
> instructor," said Art, so he stepped to her side, repeating instructions.
>
> It was the start of a team effort that blossomed into a loving 
> relationship. They've been together for 11 years, sharing life, household 
> chores, and volunteering in the local community, particularly to HPH 
> Hospice and the Lion's Club. Art quickly gives Linda most of the credit.
>
> "She does all the cooking and she is great with intuition. She knows what 
> to say and when to say it," he said.
>
> Linda uses her Deaf/Blind Communicator, a small complex device with 
> Braille and standard keyboards. If a patient would like to hear a Bible 
> verse, for example, Linda can type the specifics on the Braille keyboard 
> and through oral communication she can hear the passage and say it aloud 
> to the patient.
>
> "We love listening to and talking with patients and I think we have 
> reached a milestone - to be in public, to give to the community and to 
> take part involunteer work here (HPH Hospice) or with the Lions," she 
> said.
>
> Art agreed and quickly added they are only two of scores who volunteer at 
> HPH Hospice in a variety of roles. Then they rose together, grasped 
> harnesses and headed down the hallway to visit patients.
>
> [Last modified: Jun 11, 2011 12:02 PM]
>
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>
>
>
>
>
> ===================.
>
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