A Dog Walks Into A Nursing Home Summary

In A Dog Walks into a Nursing Home, Sue Halpern writes about her experience training her Labradoodle Pransky for animal assisted therapy. Pransky is about seven years old when the process starts. Halpern thought it would be a good idea because her husband was working more, her daughter was in school, and Pransky is very bored sitting at home all day. The audience senses Halpern’s enthusiasm transition into apprehension when she learns the extent of the training during the six weeks needed to become a therapy dog. She works with the dog right up until the time of the test, and they end up passing the test, much to Halpern’s delight. Then they start going to County Nursing Home for weekly visits on Tuesday mornings.
Halpern is unsure what to expect as she begins her time there, but comes to find out that every person there has a past and a future. The residents are all still living and they are not dead (even though sometimes people assume that they are). They have different personalities and characteristics that make them unique. Once she has been there a while, Halpern comes to
know everyone by name, though she does not always know their stories. Regardless of their past, abilities or disabilities, or their age, Pransky does not hesitate. She does not discriminate and treats everyone the same. She sits with the residents who request visits, allows them to pet her and talk to her, and is there to comfort them. There are, of course, people who do not like dogs and do not want visits, but Halpern still ends up conversing with them anyway. Every visit is not happy, as some accounts of resident visits are not good. There are a few people who are comforted by Pransky in their last moments. It is touching to read these accounts because it shows just how important and heartening these visits really are for the people living at County. Halpern describes these last few moments of life in a way that is not sad or depressing, but it is touching to see how Pransky interacts with the residents, as it is as if she can tell what is about to happen.
Another important point Halpern makes is that in County, everyone is pretty much on a level playing field. There are former Yale professors living with farmers who quit school in eighth grade, and they actually get along (for the most part). No matter what their past, they all have living at County in common, as well as receiving visits from Pransky. It was not new information, but the fact that Halpern mentions the sex ratio (women live 4+ years longer than men) was intriguing because it is something that applies in many places.
As far as the nursing home itself, it seems like a very nice place, and one who cares about their residents and their quality of life.
They have different themed activities, clothes shopping in the activities room (where residents can go in and try on clothes and keep for free), and the staff are like family. When Halpern talks with the director of the program, he tells her that his goal is to make the place feel as much like home as he possibly can and thanks her for bringing the dog. I was also very impressed with Halpern’s description of the staff and how they interact with the residents. Everyone from the nurses to the maintenance people are involved and are always willing to lend a helping hand whenever needed, and they try to make the place feel and look as homey as they could. I also saw the dignity in how these residents are treated, both from Halpern and especially from
Pransky.
In conclusion, this book just reaffirmed how important relationships are in nursing homes, and especially the difference a dog can make. Thanks to Halpern and Pransky, some of these residents are able to express themselves and talk about things that they would never have gotten a chance to otherwise. I think this made a bigger impact on Halpern, Pransky, and even myself reading it than anyone originally thought. Halpern proves that you cannot always assume that everyone in a nursing home is 103, has dementia, and is about to die. There was a wide array of people at County- anywhere from around 40 to 95, some who are younger than fifty and had brain disorders, and some are there for short term rehabilitation. The most important message I got from this story was the fact that relationships are important for everyone- including dogs and residents living in nursing homes.