Pets are welcome at retirement community

Lutheran, The, Jul 2004 by Gross, Jennifer L

Toulouse, an exuberant black poodle, is the first to greet visitors to Zosia Umbarger's apartment. "He's very fond of people-everyone is his friend," she says. "He sits on his little bed [outside] and greets people as they walk by."

Plenty of apartments and motels give a clear message: no pets. But they are welcome at Brandon Oaks, an ELCA-affiliated retirement community in Roanoke, Va., owned and operated by Virginia Lutheran Homes. Many residents of the independent living units own pets. And assisted living and nursing home residents have as much access to animals as possible.

"Pet people just light up when we bring animals in," says Betsy Jenkins, program coordinator. Medical issues make it difficult for assisted living and nursing home residents to care for individual pets, so community volunteers and independent living residents bring their pets to visit. Parakeets Lucy and Desi reside in assisted living, and a garden and koi pond bring life to the nursing home courtyard.

Peggy Ann Neumann, a member of Christ Lutheran Church, Roanoke, has lived in Brandon Oaks since 1993. She's had pets all her life.

Neumann brings her cat, Brandy, to visit a former neighbor who moved into assisted living due to Alzheimer's disease and an inabil- ity to speak. On one visit, the woman said, "So soft, so soft" as she petted the cat-it was the only time she spoke.

"The biggest thrill was that she :A actually spoke, and the cat was the catalyst," Neumann says.

Joe Hoff, the nursing home ad- ministrator, has also seen the response that only animals can gener- ate. "When they see a dog, you see a big smile," he says. Often residents start reminiscing about the pets they have owned. Even those who usually keep to themselves often come out of their shell around animals, he adds.

Umbarger admits to spoiling Toulouse but says he deserves it for the way he brightens up lives-and helps her stay fit. "We walk about two miles a day, which I would never do by myself," she says.

Neumann, who comes from a long line of pet lovers, believes Brandon Oaks won't be the only place with a welcoming policy for pets. "Wherever the pets are in heaven," she says, "that's where my ancestors will be."

Gross, a free-lance writer, is a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Dumfries, Va.