GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Patients at the Mary Free Bed Outdoor Therapy Garden spent Thursday afternoon with therapy chickens as part of a program designed to support recovery through animal interaction.
Jodi Wilterdink, who works for Touching Hearts at Home, a service provider for seniors, started the Healing Hens program during the COVID pandemic. She said the calm, soft chickens help reduce stress, ease depression, and bring smiles to patients during their recovery.
"We live in the Midwest, many people grew up on farms and so that link to childhood especially with dementia or dementia-related illnesses it spurs those memories back from childhood and we've had folks who are non-verbal or just not engaged really come to life and start speaking or rocking or singing to a chicken because that's bringing back really good memories," Wilterdink said.
Healing Hens also makes stops for patients in assisted living, memory care, rehab, senior centers, and hospice.
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