Rosie joined the Moffett family at their home in Woodford County almost three years ago when Matthew’s mom Patty, a nurse at Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN), learned about BCN’s pet therapy program. She thought it would be perfect for her son since he loves animals and helping people. Matthew became the handler for Rosie and one evening a week, the Moffetts take Rosie to visit patients at the Bluegrass Hospice Care Center at UK Healthcare.

“It’s basically become my family’s mission,” Patty said. “We enjoy doing that together and it’s just neat to watch my child, who has autism and cerebral palsy, and that I was told would never walk or talk, go out and minister to these families and patients of ours.”

Every visit is different, but Patty and Matthew remember one patient specifically. The patient was in respiratory distress, non-verbal and missing their dog. After entering the room, Matthew asked if he could put the patient’s hand on Rosie’s head. The patient calmed immediately, and Matthew and Patty know that being able to pet Rosie gave that person a sense of peace.

“They know that the dog is there, and it’s really hard not to get emotional,” Matthew said. “It’s neat to see them light up with happiness and gives them something to look forward to.”

Matthew says that his mom, who has worked for BCN almost nine years, has inspired him to help patients, give kindness and love to others and be a role model. After participating in the Special Olympics for almost 4 years, he was accepted into the Athlete Leadership Program to develop leadership skills and become a program ambassador for the Special Olympics.

“Everyone deserves a chance to do anything they can set their mind to,” he said. “It’s not fair not to give them a chance and tell them you can’t. Honestly, you can. I don’t like hearing ‘you can’t’ because you can.”

With Special Olympics, Matthew has played basketball, softball, ran track, bowled and skied. He appreciates the extra playing time that has helped him improve, the patience of his coaches and making friends.

“People with disabilities are just like us,” he said. “They’re smart and deserve a chance because everyone is special in their own way.”

Matthew’s goal is to become safely independent. His life coach Bo Denny, who works with Marion Health, is helping him achieve that goal. Together Denny and Matthew cook, clean and run errands. During their time together Matthew has not only learned life skills, but has also learned to stop and think before reacting, to let go of the past and to focus on the positive.

“The best part about working with Matthew is to see his growth and his progress,” Denny said. “We bonded so well, and he connected with me so well that we’re almost like friends and enjoy each other’s company through the day. It’s almost not like work.”

Hospice volunteers are a valuable part of the patient care team. Volunteers work with a clinical team of a doctor, nurse, aide, chaplain and social worker. Because they spend time with the patient, volunteers who provide direct patient care can often give the team valuable feedback about issues that may arise during their visits. 

Medicare-certified hospice programs require providers to use volunteers for at least five percent of their patient care hours. Volunteers are required to undergo training to gain understanding of the goals for hospice care and their role and function as a volunteer. 

If you are a therapy dog handler or have another special skill that could help a hospice patient, we could use your talents! Learn more about volunteering at Bluegrass Care Navigators on our website bgcarenav.org/more-about-us/volunteer