Pigs Timbo and Trüffel are on hand for activities at Sternenbrücke children’s hospice; the same goes for therapy companion dogs Willi and Anouk. In addition, there are fixed dates on which riding therapy is offered.
Our work at the inpatient children’s and youth hospice not only focuses on the affected child, adolescent or young adult – with our multiprofessional team, we look after the entire family. Our goal is to strengthen the family system as a whole. For this reason, our animal-assisted interventions at Sternenbrücke are also available to our guests as well as their siblings.
Pigs
Our porcine “employees” Timbo and Trüffel have lived on the grounds of Sternenbrücke since March 2017. With their sensitive nature, the two are ideally suited as companions for both our little and our not-so-little guests. They are good learners, respond to their names and can be petted. Both of them know how to “sit” and “shake” if they are offered a treat.
Animal-assisted activities are offered three times a week by a specialist. Being able to feed, brush or take a walk with the animals on these occasions is a special experience for many children.
Lots of our incurably ill guests suffer from allergies – but the pigs’ bristles do not trigger any such reactions, which makes Timbo and Trüffel ideal pets for Sternenbrücke.
Here, the two have everything a pig needs to be appropriately cared for: a pen with an insulated sleeping shelter, a variety of ground surfaces, scratching posts, bushes, a mud wallow and enough space to run around in or to keep out of each other’s way, if need be.
Therapy companion dogs
Time and again our young guests expressed the desire to have a dog. It is a known fact that dogs, in particular, can have a big impact on people. They are friends, comforters, listeners or helpers, and their mere presence has a positive effect on the atmosphere. They accept us as we are.
However, using dogs in a children’s hospice places a number of demands on both the people and the animals which we had to take into account. For this reason, our two dogs, Willi and Anouk, who have recently started spending time at Sternenbrücke, have undergone therapy companion dog training with their master and are used to being around children and guests with special needs.
To minimize the risk of animal allergies arising, a comprehensive hygiene protocol was developed for using the therapy companion dogs at Sternenbrücke.
Every day we see how strong the dogs’ intuition is and how much gentleness they display towards “our” children. It is impossible not to see the joy that the dogs bring to our sick guests. Children with severe multiple disabilities – and who are otherwise quite reserved or extremely quiet – perk up instantly. They make sounds, laugh and get quite excited and animated.
Therapy companion dogs promote:
- personal development
- emotional stability
- social behavior
- social integration
- (non-verbal) communication, autonomy and sensory perception
- development of motor and perception skills
- cognitive development
Riding therapy
A special animal-assisted activity on offer at Sternenbrücke gets horse lovers particularly excited: riding therapy. Led by two therapists, this horse-centered therapy takes place twice a month in nearby Hamburg-Iserbrook, or on site at the hospice, depending on what is easier for the registered participants.
Trust is an important foundation for riding therapy
The trained therapists gently approach the children with the horses and build trust with them to help them feel safe and secure. In this context, the horses provide a special, calming influence and can make it easier to accept pain and sadness. This is because once the children have come to trust the animals, they can confide in and share with them all their fears, feelings and worries without burdening them.
The horses also give the children the chance to lean on them and to accept and experience closeness. The physical contact with the calm animals and the rhythmic movements associated with riding can lead to more deliberate breathing, which in turn can help the children release inner tension and anxiety.
The aim of this animal-assisted therapeutic intervention is increased body awareness as well as new access to suppressed or subconscious emotions. The children are given time and space for their wishes and feelings, or they simply enjoy this special time as a moment of quiet – it all depends on what mood they are in and what their current needs are.
Animal-assisted intervention enhances our work
The animals help liven up the atmosphere at the hospice. In difficult times, they can lighten the mood a bit and allow one to briefly forget his or her own burdensome situation. They put smiles on children’s faces, children who can hardly see but can feel a warm snout or soft fur in their hand. It is deeply moving to see this take place. And it shows that our four-legged friends truly can make a “big” difference.