Second Wind Dreams
“I’ve seen so many wonderful dreams realized, and the change that’s most meaningful to me is seeing the smile on the dreamer’s face.”
Ever since Edith was a child, horses were a fixture in her life. Each trip to the stables—both as a rider and, later, a trainer—encoded a lasting memory. But now, afflicted by dementia at the age of 87, Edith’s cherished recollections have faded—until a recent return to the stables.
“The minute she got on a horse, she became a completely different person,” explains Melissa Tullis, who helped place Edith in her memory care home. “It was the most cognitively verbal she’d been in a year, and it just brightened her world.”
Edith’s ability to relive some of her fondest memories was a feat made possible by nonprofit organization Second Wind Dreams. Through its Dreams program, the organization has granted over 10,000 wishes to seniors, advocating that hopes and dreams don’t fade with age.
Eldercare communities, including long-term care homes and hospices, pay a $150 annual fee to allow their residents to participate in the program. The fees accrued from these memberships, along with donations from individuals, corporations, and associations, fund each dream. With every dream fulfilled, the organization is validating the plight of elders.
An immersive glimpse into the realities of dementia
One of the largest challenges surrounding their experience of seniors is how they contend with dementia. If Second Wind Dreams founder P.K. Belville were offered a handful of wishes, one of them would be to change the perception of aging.
Belville, who holds a PhD in gerontology, has spearheaded numerous programs to help the organization advance dementia awareness, research, and care, with some of the proceeds reinvested into Dreams. One of them is the Virtual Dementia Tour, a simulator that exposes individuals to the symptoms of dementia. It aims to enlighten those in close proximity to the illness by amplifying their awareness and empathy.
“It helps the participant better understand that it’s the areas of the brain that are damaged that are creating the problem, not the person with dementia,” Belville said about the simulator, which has been experienced by over three million people in 20 countries. “Many have come away from it saying, ‘I wish I had known.’”
Fulfilling dreams of all sizes
In addition to Edith’s trip to the stables, the Dreams program has granted wishes like a hot air balloon ride and an indoor skydiving adventure. But one of several dreams that left an indelible mark on Belleville was of a much smaller scale.
Through the program, Belville encountered a senior in a wheelchair who had been confined to his room as a necessary measure to maintain consistent liquid intake for his dialysis treatment. All he wanted was a cupholder to make him mobile. After receiving one, Belville learned that the senior had become the president of his resident council, now thriving in activities that were previously beyond his reach.
“People think that dreams have to be huge, but something like a cupholder can become a mammoth thing when a senior can’t make it to a store,” Belville noted. “I’ve seen so many wonderful dreams realized, and the change that’s most meaningful to me is seeing the smile on the dreamer’s face.”
Pets for the Elderly
“For elders, sometimes this animal is their main source of companionship. So it’s devastating if they’re not able to afford the cost of adopting or keeping a companion animal.”
If anyone knows that age is just a number, it’s 92-year-old James. In search of a furry companion to enhance his golden years, James found and adopted Trinity, an 8-year-old black lab mix who was rescued from a house with no electricity by the Animal Friends shelter in Pittsburgh. The pair of seniors bonded over a number of common traits, the first of which was poor vision.
“We have something in common!” exclaimed James after learning of Trinity’s poor eyesight. In the months following adoption, the duo’s union grew stronger, largely due to the efforts of public charity Pets for the Elderly.
Since its inception in 1992, the Cleveland-based organization has been combating social isolation by connecting adults over 60 with shelter animals. It collaborates with 58 rescues across 33 states to provide reduced rates for adoptions, veterinarian services, and food—resources that have helped facilitate over 100,000 adoptions.
“For elders, sometimes this animal is their main source of companionship,” notes Susan Kurowski, the organization’s executive director. “So it’s devastating if they’re not able to afford the cost of adopting or keeping a companion animal.”
Navigating age bias during adoption
Kurowski says that, while the shelters within the organization’s network are a safe place for seniors, others can be reluctant to couple their animals with the elderly.
“Some shelters don’t even let seniors be considered because they think they’re too old, and that can be devastating,” says Kurowski.
Maddie Aicher, a placement manager at Animal Friends, says the shelter conducts a thorough adoption assessment to ensure seniors are a good fit for pet ownership. When the organization finds a match, Aicher says it can have a profound impact.
“It’s awesome to see just how exciting it is for them to come in and find a new friend in one of our residents,” Aicher says. “It brings meaning to their lives.”
