Several weeks ago, we gave Diane, a Mansion resident, a realistic doll. It has worked out beautifully for her, giving her an object to love, care for and look after. I often ask the staff who else might benefit from a similar gift. We all came up with Ellen’s name one day, she loves stuffed animals and at our weekly Bingo games, I’ve seen her love the dogs and other stuffed animals that some of the residents have.

So I asked the staff about getting her a rabbit or dog and they agreed it would be useful to her. She keeps to herself at the Mansion and sometimes seems lonely. I found this very soft stuffed rabbit the other day and got it for Ellen. I gave it to  her tonight before the Bingo game.

She clutched it to her chest and held it tight and her face was transformed, it  had a look of great satisfaction. and also of love and gratitude. Before going to the Bingo game, she took the rabbit – she called it “Ginger” – down to  her room so it would not be lost or displaced.

I’m still working to understand the power stuffed animals and realistic dolls sometimes have on the elderly  and those  residents with memory problems.

One thing I have seen is how much the residents being touched. Except for being changed and occasionally hugged, few of the residents are ever touched at all. And they miss it.

Another is that these realistic dolls and animals are almost like having a real dog, in a way. The residents project great love and loyalty on them. They are seen as protective, unconditionally loving and absolutely dedicated, words are not needed for this instantly deep and loving relationship.

And they are clearly an antidote to loneliness, another hazard of asisted living.

After the Bingo game, Ellen rushed back to her room to see Ginger, with whom she would sleep tonight. Seeing Ellen’s face was a great lift for me, that is the look I wait and hope to see in my work there. “My God,” she asked, over and over to me.
“Can I keep her?”

One of my projects is to put a realistic doll or stuffed animal in the hands of every resident might need one, from the observations of the staff and my own observations. I’ve seen that Diane’s life has been transformed by her baby Sue. Ellen showed the same depth of passion and need for Ginger. We’ll know more in a day or two.

You can write Ellen by sending your letter c/o Ellen, The Mansion, 11 S. Union Avenue, Cambridge N.Y., 12816. If you wish to support my Mansion work,  you can send a contribution to the Gus Fund, c/o Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or to me via Paypal.

You can also contribute to the Mansion directly, via the new Mansion Amazon Wish List. There are only ten items left.