Press

When her aunt passed away last November, Carrolyn Minggia, 64, felt isolated. The Brooklyn Heights resident had moved from Philadelphia to NYC four years prior to care for her aging relative, who suffered from cancer and dementia. After her death, Minggia, who never married and has no children, suddenly found herself alone.

“When I moved here, there were aides, and when she passed, everybody left again,” she says.

Then, in April, Minggia got a pet — sort of.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — Long after serving our country, too many vets fight for a sense of peace. An unusual form of pet therapy provides a source of comfort and companionship at Charles George VA Medical Center.

“I’m 100 percent disabled, and I have PTSD,” says Dennis Vincent, a Vietnam veteran. ‘It’s been a struggle practically since the war, you know.”

Residents of Parkwood Village’s Memory Care Unit in Pratt now have a dog to call their own, courtesy of the Pratt Lions Club. At a special dedication ceremony Wednesday, May 15, staff, administration (and Lions Club members) already found the animated Golden Doggie irresistible.

Older people tend to not have pets. Whether it’s too much upkeep or their living situation doesn’t allow for it, the fact remains true.

According to a press release from the University of Cincinnati, Claudia Rebola, an associate professor and graduate studies coordinator for UC’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, is trying to change this. She and the graduate students from DAAP and UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science are sprucing up an existing line of robotic pets so they pass as “real” pets and can do more extensive skills, like calling emergency services, if needed.

Readers Shared their Mother’s Day traditions that include taking trips down memory lane via family photographs, gifts of plants and flowers, dining out so Mom doesn’t have to cook, and more. Seems the greatest Mother’s Day gift is the gift of time …

You Can Still donate to the Nevada County Diaper Project’s Moms Helping Moms promotion (NevadaCountyDiaperProject.org). One in three American mothers struggle to provide diapers for their babies. “Make a donation anytime this month, and include the name and address of a woman you’d like to honor,” says project director Karen Keegan. “We’ll send a thank you card to let her know how much she is loved …”