Visiting volunteers bring comfort - and a dog named Chicken
Ellen Landress-Bowkett and her dog Chicken. Photo courtesy of VNS of New York
Hospice and Palliative Care
come for a visit, but when he
met Chicken there was an immediate
connection. As Ellen
placed the dog gently by
his side, he began moving
his fi ngers and then reached
to pet Chicken’s head, who of
course was calmly staring
into his eyes. Soon, the gentleman
was asking Ellen to call
him by his “real name,” the
one his mother had given him,
rather than the name that was
on his medical charts. “Everyone
deeply desires connection,”
Ellen says. “But we
all have obstacles to relating
with other humans at certain
times. Chicken somehow
gets through that. If you pour
yourself into Chicken, she’ll
just gaze at you and pour herself
right back into you.”
The Visiting Nurse Service
of New York is the nation’s
largest not-for-profi t home-
and community-based home
health care organization. To
learn more or fi nd out how
you can become a hospice volunteer,
visit www.vnsny.org,
or call 1-212-609-7586.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR APRIL 26-MAY 2, 2019 75
April is National Volunteer
Month, a time to recognize the
more than 60 million Americans
who volunteer their time
year-round, including hospice
volunteers who play an
important role in end-of-life
care for many individuals and
families in New York communities.
In fact, volunteers are
such a vital part of hospice
care, their presence is mandated
by law and in keeping
with the broader social mission
to build a community of
care at end of life.
You’ll fi nd Hospice Volunteers
styling hair, walking
dogs and listening to or sharing
stories with the people
they visit. Many play music
from a favorite era or country,
or they crochet, knit or help
patients create legacy projects.
Some work individually
and some team up in groups,
like the Threshold Choir of
New York City, which is part
of a national network of community
choirs that perform
the ancient tradition of singing
softly at bedsides for peo-
ple who are ill or dying.
Volunteers can also choose
to be part of bedside vigils, an
especially important and intense
endeavor that requires
additional training on the
physical, psychosocial and
spiritual aspects of a person
actively dying, including what
happens to the body as it shuts
down. “It is a profound and
intimate experience,” says
Alison Reynoso, who coordinates
the vigil volunteers at
Visiting Nurse Service of New
York Hospice and Palliative
Care. “It’s an honor to be in a
person’s presence as they take
their last breath.”
Despite the many benefi ts
of hospice and palliative care,
people cope in different ways
with the end-of-life experience.
When a volunteer fi rst pays a
visit to someone receiving hospice
care, they’ve been trained
to take it one step at a time.
They know to listen, pay attention,
be mindful of opportunities
to help or offer comfort—
to discover what a patient,
family member or someone on
the care team might need. Ellen
Landress-Bowkett knows
this well, and that’s one reason
she volunteers with her dog
Chicken, a rescue who is certifi
ed and trained by the Good
Dog Foundation as a therapy
dog. “Chicken is a door
opener,” says Ellen, “and she
always makes eye-contact—
with everyone she meets—her
specialty is people who do not
want visitors.” Even people
who don’t want a human visitor
seem to open up when they
see Chicken.
One of the fi rst visits Ellen
made as a hospice volunteer
was to a man who wasn’t
sure he wanted anyone to
BY DOROTHEA POGGI
As vice president of BCEQ,
vice president emeritus of
HRRP, president of Friends of
Ferry Point Park and administrator
of East Bronx Coastal
Waterfront Facebook Network,
I attended the NYC’s recent
Long Term Control Plan
for the sewer system’s Combined
Sewer Outfalls/Overfl
ows (CSO).
These overfl ows contaminate
our waterways with
raw sewage whenever we
have a heavy rain. Dr. Robert
Fanuzzi, president of BCE,
and Karen Argenti, chair of
the Water Committee also attended
and recieved the update
on the ‘Daylighting of
Tibbets Brook’ which runs
through Van Cortland Park
and has been re-routed into
the NYC sewer system adding
to the burden of the CSOs.
Westchester Creek and
Pugsley Creek have had Green
and Grey infrastructure
changes to help with the pollution
of it’s water. To get invites
and updates email LTCP@dep.
nyc.gov. To view the various
LTCP’s visit nyc.gov/dep/ltcp.
Last week I gave the history
of the fi ght for the ‘ferry’
at Ferry Point Park. I had left
out an important paragraph
so here it is. After years of our
support for Ferry Point Park to
be included in the ‘Blue Highway’
transportation service
and map Councilman Mark
Gjonaj and Assemblyman Michael
Benedetto stepped in
and got the job done. In 2018
when the NYC Ferry Extension
route omitted Throggs
Neck again our continued support
was behind our electeds
and now the plan includes a
ferry to serve our area by 2021.
Thank you Mark and Mike for
your tenacity.
So far the Friends of Ferry
Point Park has scheduled four
events: May 3, May 24, May 31,
and a June event. NYC Parks
and Partnerships for Parks
and Councilman Gjonaj are
involved. More to follow.
BY GENE DEFRANCIS
Want to thank the good
Lord and Mother Nature
for keeping the water in the
clouds during our 6th Annual
Easter Bunny at the Sanz.
Thank you to the Sanz
Banquet Hall (Richie and
Lady Pamela) for always being
so accommodating and
helpful during this event ...
support those who support
us... Plan your next event at
the Sanz Banquet Halll, 815
Allerton. Prom time is coming
so check out Margie’s
Bridal (also at 815 Allerton)
for your gown or tux.
Thank you to Angelica
and the P.S. 89 Cheerleaders
for helping us stay positive
and getting through the
early rain, wind and clouds.
Also for all the fun prizes
and for helping everyone coloring
their eggs. Later today
there will be a link to help
donate to the Cheer Squad.
They need all the money they
can get to showcase their talent
at competitions.
Thank you to Maria Dinardo
for providing her
amazing cupcakes again.
Thank you Ridgewood
Bank for stopping by and for
your support. If your little one
stops by Ridgewood Bank this
week they can open an account
for $10 and Ridgewood will put
in an extra $10. It’s never too
early to start saving.
Thanks to our 49th Precinct
especially our NCO
Sector C police offi cers Rivera
and Hernandez ... or as
we lovingly call them Daisy
and Greg. Our superheroes
had a great time with us putting
smiles on our kids faces
and joining in for some photos.
And when a car engine
caught fi re a few blocks away
they were there to respond
before the 911 call was made.
When it was safe, they came
right back to party with us
without missing a beat. No
one was hurt thanks to their
quick action
Thank you to our Senator
Alessandra Biaggi and to Assemblywoman
Nathalia Fernandez
for spending some
time with us. Both ladies
showed up early to mix and
mingle with our friends and
neighbors when the weather
was still in question. The
wind was blowing strong and
it looked like it would downpour
at any second. But they
came with great support
and positivity and the skies
cleared up and all was well
in Allerton. Your extra energy
and support was what
we needed to get through the
early storm and bring smiles
to so many faces.
Thank you to Roma Pizza
for allowing us to boil 150 eggs
in their kitchen the night before
and storing them in their
fridge. Can not begin to say
how helpful that small act of
generosity was. Small behind
the scene story ... we had several
eggs that were not suitable
for coloring but they were
still good for eating. We put
some pepper on them, cooked
them up and threw them on
top of a pizza and it was so
good. Maybe a new breakfast
option in Allerton.
Thank you Debby for the
amazing pictures and support.
Thank you Takisha,
Paul, Larry, Grace, Tina, and
Veronica for your support
and assistance in making
this year a great success.
And to all our friends and
neighbors for coming out and
spending time with each other.
All the hard work and energy
paid off and as you can see a
lot of people were involved in
making it a success.
Next is Mother’s Day
Clean Up on Saturday, May
11. We will meet at the Sanz
Banquet Hall around 10 a.m.
and take down some grafi tti,
pick up some litter, and beautify
some tree beds.
/nyc.gov
/www.vnsny.org
/www.vnsny.org
/ltcp
link