Elderly residents at the Catalina Springs Memory Care Center in Oro Valley, Arizona, are regaining memories after participating in a pilot program where seniors are partnered with foster kittens.
Residents at the Catalina Springs Memory Care Center struggle with various types of memory loss. Most recently, in a pilot program developed by Rebecca Hamilton, the elderly patients are matched with foster kittens, whom they care for and bottlefeed throughout the day.
Hamilton, the Center’s Health Services Director, came up with the idea after fostering a few kittens herself. She knew that the Pima Animal Care Center in Tucson was often in need of temporary foster parents for their newborn kittens. These babies need to be fed every 2 hours, so it can be difficult to find volunteers willing to put in all the work.
“This is extremely labor intensive, but only for a short period of time,” Hamilton told ABC News. “But for that period of time, it is very difficult to find fosters to take these kittens.”
Hamilton realized that this could be a beneficial situation for both the kittens and her elderly patients. And that’s when she decided to start the “Bottle Babies” pilot program where newborn kittens are brought to the center and cared for by the residents.
According to Staff Relief, caring for a pet can help seniors in a variety of ways. They explain, “A feline companion helps to reduce loneliness and depression. Owning a cat can also help seniors feel less isolated and more satisfied with their lives.” This is in addition to physical benefits, including reduced stress and stress-related symptoms.
Since being initiated in 2016, Catalina Springs’ Bottle Babies program has been tremendously successful. Not only do these vulnerable kittens have devoted humans willing to care for their needs, but they’ve been helping the patients restore memories as well!
“Loss of memory does not erase the ability to love — that’s really hardwired,” Hamilton said. “When you put a kitten into someone hands their faces just light up!”
“Many memories have started to resurface just by the act of caring for these babies,” she added. “People began to bring up long-forgotten memories of a cat or a dog they had as a child.”
“The kittens have enriched the lives in this center in indescribable ways.”
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
