The Menorah Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing Care located in Brooklyn’s Manhattan Beach neighborhood, was hit hard when Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast. In the months that followed, residents were able to find comfort in the visits of Shadow, a therapy dog who has been visiting the residents in the months since the storm. Funding for the visits, originally provided in the form of an anonymous gift of bat mitzvah money, has since run out, and residents of the Menorah Center are facing the prospect of losing these visits from their therapy dog.
It is difficult to quantify the effect that a therapy dog may or may not have on an elderly nursing home resident. At the very least, visits from Shadow, a four year old poodle, have served to lift the spirits of the seniors at the Menorah Center. In the wake of Sandy, with much of the home needing renovations, these visits have provided some relief from an otherwise extremely difficult time for the home and its residents.
According to the NY Daily News, donations may be made directly to the Metropolitan Jewish Health System (MJHS) here, and directed to funding future visits to the Menorah Center from Shadow. The story can be found on the Daily News website, including pictures depicting the obvious effect that Shadow has on the residents of the home.