Seniors bond with pets

[cougarnurse]

Pet therapy does wonders! But a boa constrictor?! Seniors bond with pets at Grandell Rehab Center in Long Beach

A Long Island-based animal owner is finding a new way to bring comfort to nursing home residents.

Andre Ricaud uses his collection of exotic animals - boa constrictors, chinchillas, tortoises, lemurs and more - as therapy pets.

"Sometimes, elderly people fall back into their childhood," said Ricaud, 48, of Baldwin, L.I. "They're fascinated when they hold a tarantula. They smile, they scream with joy."

Ricaud uses his exotic menagerie - many abandoned by pet owners who could no longer take care of them - to teach young and old alike.

For residents at the Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Long Beach, L.I., Ricaud's visit was an opportunity to reconnect with the world outside and relive fond memories of pets they were forced to give up.
"Unfortunately, we can't have animals here," said Anita Rawlins while petting a gray chinchilla named Twitch.

"I feel very content holding him," said Rawlins, who has lived at the center for seven years. "I go into a different world when I'm playing with animals. He's so soft and I love hearing him purr. It's so calming."

Magnel John, 40, director of recreation at the facility, said the exotic animals can relieve tension in a lot of the residents.

"It's a thrill for an 87-year-old to play with a python," John said. "The people here have a natural curiosity with some of the animals."
Ricaud also uses his animals for petting zoos and education programs in local schools.

"Some of these people don't have any visitors or family," Ricaud said. "It's always rewarding to put a smile on someone's face."