Animals Connect You With Your Soul

There is so much that can be said about the importance and value of animals in the lives of people experiencing Alzheimer's disease. I was recently introduced to the idea of a "soul contract" by Danielle MacKinnon and I was fascinated by a perspective that I hadn't heard before. Danielle describes how animals help us to evolve and connect with our soul, through unconditional love. She explains that pets come into our life to help us heal and for a purpose. Animals help us get in touch with areas in our lives that we need to work on. Listen to this fascinating interview with Danielle:

This idea, got me thinking about my dog.  I got Molly about two years ago and I didn't know why I wanted a dog, I just knew that I needed one.  Recognizing that she would "tie me down", and that it wasn't practical, I still decided to proceed. So I got Molly and she has changed my life! Molly and I got certified as a Pet Partner team and started our volunteer work with people experiencing dementia. I realized how much I had missed having dementia in my life, as it truly has been a "calling" for me.  Molly has encouraged me to open up that door again. My work in the dementia world has started to be recreated and I started this blog because of my desire to make a difference.  I also began working with Open Arms Patient Advocacy Society, helping people who are experiencing Alzheimer's disease or dementia, navigate and get answers in the health care system.

Molly also helped me at a personal level, when I started noticing that she was mirroring what I was feeling. For example, when I was anxious she would start licking her lips. When I calmed myself, she would stop. I actually couldn't believe it when I started testing out this observation. Now when she starts licking her lips, I do a gut check and realize that she is mirroring my energy. She's also helped me to become more patient and be aware of when I'm feeling impatient. Our training sessions never go well when I'm impatient because she is needing me to be patient.

So what has this got to do with Alzheimer's disease? I'm a firm believer that people with Alzheimer's disease need to be surrounded by animals. As the disease progresses and words become more difficult there is nothing more powerful than an animal connecting at the level of the soul with a person with Alzheimer's disease. Animals gravitate to the person who needs that connection the most. In the facility that I worked, there was a man with the end stages of Alzheimer's disease. We had a number of resident cats and this one particular cat became his life line. This cat, was his connection to his soul and spent all his time in this gentleman's room. The cat had an important mission and was able to calm this man when he got anxious and gave him a connection that he otherwise wouldn't have had.  At the end of this man's life, this cat provided palliative care and was at his bedside when he left this world.

Have animals helped connect you to your soul? What has your pet taught you? How do we overcome the barriers to having more animals in the Alzheimer's world??