nursingstaffandnoonewaspayingthemextraforit.In
fact, they’d hardly had a raise in two or three years
because of state budget cuts in nursing home
reimbursements. Yet the same state government spent
moneyonabunchofplantsandanimals?Othersbelieved
that, just as in anyone’s home, the animals were a
responsibilitythateveryoneshouldshare.Whenyouhave
animals,thingshappen,andwhoeveristheretakescare
ofwhatneedstobedone,whetherit’sthenursinghome
director or a nurse’s aide. It was a battle over
fundamentallydifferent worldviews:Weretheyrunning
an institution or providing a home?
Greisingworkedtoencouragethelatterview.Shehelped
thestaffbalanceresponsibilities.Graduallypeoplestarted
toacceptthatfillingChasewithlifewaseveryone’stask.
And they did so not because of any rational set of
arguments or compromises but because the effect on
residentssoonbecameimpossibletoignore:theresidents
began to wake up and come to life.
“People who we had believed weren’t able to speak
startedspeaking,”Thomassaid. “Peoplewhohadbeen
completelywithdrawnandnonambulatorystartedcoming
tothenurses’stationandsaying,‘I’lltakethedogfora
walk.’”Alltheparakeetswereadoptedandnamedbythe
residents.Thelightsturnedbackoninpeople’seyes.Ina
bookhewroteabouttheexperience,Thomasquotedfrom
journals that the staff kept, and they described how
irreplaceabletheanimalshadbecomeinthedailylivesof
residents, even ones with advanced dementia:
Gusreallyenjoyshisbirds.Helistenstotheirsingingand
asks if they can have some of his coffee.