1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,440 Speaker 1: No the Catherine Hospital. They recently welcomed a new staff 2 00:00:03,480 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: member who's set to help with patients with anxiety through 3 00:00:07,240 --> 00:00:11,640 Speaker 1: their recovery and therapy dog Daisy, a beautiful two year 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: old non allergenic poodle, is now doing the rounds and 5 00:00:15,840 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: joining us on the line to tell us mores and 6 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: helps Big Rivers Region Regional Executive Director and Angela Branda Lee, 7 00:00:24,480 --> 00:00:26,079 Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Angela. 8 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:28,160 Speaker 2: Good morning Katie. 9 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 1: Lovely to have you on the show. Now, tell us 10 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: a little bit more about Daisy. 11 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:39,800 Speaker 2: Oh, Daisy's in an amazing cute little poodle who is 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 2: now living at Catherine Hospital and she's a bundle of 13 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:49,320 Speaker 2: joy and bringing lots of happiness and to the patients 14 00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:51,120 Speaker 2: and the staff at the hospital. 15 00:00:52,600 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: So you did have a locky, you had a therapy 16 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: dog previously, didn't you have? You got two now? Or 17 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:00,800 Speaker 1: is it just Daisy doing the rounds? 18 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:05,960 Speaker 2: No, it's just Daisy. We did have initially have a 19 00:01:06,040 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: therapy dog, Iasy, and unfortunately Easy wasn't a great fit 20 00:01:12,160 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 2: for us. It was an amazing therapy dog on Paul's 21 00:01:15,319 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 2: do an amazing job and they've managed to find Easy 22 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:21,040 Speaker 2: a new home which is such a great outcome. But 23 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,360 Speaker 2: and so that's the kind of paw of being very 24 00:01:24,400 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 2: supportive of what we're doing. It was ensuring that we 25 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,520 Speaker 2: had the right fit for the hospital for you know, 26 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:32,240 Speaker 2: for the patients and the. 27 00:01:32,200 --> 00:01:35,040 Speaker 1: Stuff, one hundred percent. And it's such a different environment 28 00:01:35,200 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: like in a hospital, you know, when you've got patients 29 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:42,319 Speaker 1: with varying levels of ailments and illness, you've got to 30 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:44,399 Speaker 1: make sure that you've got that right fit when it 31 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:48,040 Speaker 1: comes to the therapy dog. Tell us a bit more 32 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:50,280 Speaker 1: about the kind of you know, the kind of work 33 00:01:50,320 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 1: that Daisy does. What's you know, what's a regular day 34 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: on Daisy's rounds? 35 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 2: Oh so, a regular day for Daisy. And we're still 36 00:01:59,040 --> 00:02:02,400 Speaker 2: in our kind of settling in period, so we're not 37 00:02:02,480 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 2: doing lots and lots of work at the moment, but 38 00:02:05,360 --> 00:02:09,600 Speaker 2: a kind of regular days that you know, she'll in 39 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:13,400 Speaker 2: the morning, she might go if we've got elective surgery happening, 40 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 2: she might go up and kind of meet the patients 41 00:02:17,480 --> 00:02:20,359 Speaker 2: who are coming in to have surgery, particularly if we've 42 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: got children, and then she might go with the children's 43 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: the theater and then you know, and then she might 44 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 2: go to specialist clinics and kind of meet the people 45 00:02:31,560 --> 00:02:33,880 Speaker 2: who are in specialist clinics, or some of our people 46 00:02:33,919 --> 00:02:38,280 Speaker 2: waiting in our emergency department. She might go and talk 47 00:02:38,320 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 2: to some of our age care patients or go and 48 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 2: sit with them. And then during that she'll also be 49 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:49,240 Speaker 2: you know, around staff and getting lots of pats and 50 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:52,200 Speaker 2: love from the staff as well. So she's out and 51 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:56,600 Speaker 2: about just meeting and greeting and providing that that steady 52 00:02:56,639 --> 00:03:02,120 Speaker 2: reassurance for people who are anxious or know really not 53 00:03:02,480 --> 00:03:04,480 Speaker 2: you know as you know, not being comfortable in a 54 00:03:04,480 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 2: hospital environment. 55 00:03:05,639 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, which you know, I would imagine for some people 56 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:12,000 Speaker 1: it makes a huge, huge difference. 57 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 2: Yep, it certainly does. For example, when we've had some 58 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:22,799 Speaker 2: children recently having to have surgery, you know, she's on 59 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 2: the bed with the child going from our kids ward 60 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 2: to theater, and the children are so busy with Daisy, 61 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,400 Speaker 2: you know, padding and chatting executive for example, that you know, 62 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 2: they kind of all of that anxiety about having to 63 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:41,080 Speaker 2: go into theater is reduced and it's such a lovely 64 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 2: thing to see. 65 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,840 Speaker 1: Now. How like have there been sort of you know, 66 00:03:45,880 --> 00:03:48,960 Speaker 1: at different times where she's really sort of made a 67 00:03:48,960 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 1: big impact with either the staff or with with people 68 00:03:52,360 --> 00:03:54,800 Speaker 1: in for the hospital at the hospital for treatment. 69 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,840 Speaker 2: Oh definitely. So you know some as you know, our 70 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 2: emergency departments can be busy, and so having her kind 71 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 2: of go and kind of wander around the waiting room 72 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:11,720 Speaker 2: certainly helps people feel less sort of anxious about, you know, 73 00:04:11,800 --> 00:04:15,800 Speaker 2: while they're waiting and with staff. You know, we as 74 00:04:16,080 --> 00:04:19,600 Speaker 2: we get staff who come from all all over the place, 75 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 2: and you know, staff are often coming to a you know, Catherine, 76 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 2: which is a great place, but they might not know 77 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 2: many people, and so Daisy is also someone that they 78 00:04:29,320 --> 00:04:33,479 Speaker 2: can come and you know, have their you know, pet 79 00:04:33,480 --> 00:04:36,840 Speaker 2: dog therapy, and we've had staff who kind of come 80 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,279 Speaker 2: and take her out for a walk. So you know, 81 00:04:39,320 --> 00:04:42,480 Speaker 2: it's kind of helping with that loneliness that staff can 82 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 2: feel when they come to a new place. 83 00:04:44,560 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: Angela, is this something that we're sort of saying right 84 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: around Australia a little bit more, the utilization of these 85 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:57,400 Speaker 1: wonderful therapy dogs in these kind of health settings. 86 00:04:57,480 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think I believe it is. I think it's 87 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:06,599 Speaker 2: really beneficial for patients and stuff. We know that you know, 88 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:11,800 Speaker 2: being able to just pat a dog reduces you know 89 00:05:11,880 --> 00:05:13,920 Speaker 2: how you you know, it makes you feel better, reduces 90 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:19,400 Speaker 2: your anxiety levels. It provides that sort of emotional support. 91 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,840 Speaker 2: It we're seeing, you know, and the research I think 92 00:05:22,880 --> 00:05:23,880 Speaker 2: has proven that. 93 00:05:24,600 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: Well, it is wonderful to talk to you this morning, 94 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: and wonderful to hear about therapy dog Daisy. Like I 95 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:34,080 Speaker 1: love animals, you know, and I just think it's wonderful 96 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:37,480 Speaker 1: to see a situation where where the therapy dogs are 97 00:05:37,520 --> 00:05:40,919 Speaker 1: able to help out in what can be quite daunting 98 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 1: situations for some people. 99 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, thank you. And I just really like to thank 100 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 2: the community of Catherine because they raise the money to 101 00:05:49,520 --> 00:05:53,400 Speaker 2: enable us to get the first therapy dog who's living 102 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,799 Speaker 2: in a hospital in Northern Territory. 103 00:05:56,200 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 1: How wonderful, well, wonderful to talk to you as well 104 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:00,960 Speaker 1: this morning, Angela, thank you so much for having a 105 00:06:01,040 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: chat with us. 106 00:06:02,640 --> 00:06:04,360 Speaker 2: Thank you, Katie, I really appreciate it. 107 00:06:04,400 --> 00:06:05,120 Speaker 1: Thank you.