NEW VISITOR APP ROLLED OUT ACROSS UL HOSPITALS GROUP
BYE, BYE BONNIE
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Final rounds for beloved Children’s Ark therapy dog, Bonnie
he best friend of patients and staff at the Children’s Ark paediatric unit in University Hospital Limerick has made her final rounds, bidding a fond farewell to all before steppimg down into a well-deserved retirement. Bonnie the therapy dog has paid regular visits to the Ark for the past four years, playing with young inpatients and day patients, keeping them company during diagnostic tests and during their recovery from procedures, and brightening the day for all staff in the unit. On her last day, Bonnie met with baby Katie Liston from Newcastle West and young Sadie O’Malley from Castleconnell, Co Limerick, who helped make Bonnie’s final rounds a day to remember for the beloved Labrador, who received a ‘World’s Best Therapy Dog’ certificate to mark the occasion. Senior Play Specialist at the Children’s Ark, Kristina Buckley, said Bonnie’s last day was an emotional occasion for all in the paediatric unit, where patients and staff will greatly miss the 11-year-old Labrador’s regular visits. “Bonnie was our first therapy dog, and we’re so grateful to her owner, Emma Hogan, who works here in University Hospital Limerick. Bonnie has made such a huge difference to the children, cheering them up through her friendly presence, and assisting in calming children who are anxious about being in hospital. She’s an amazing dog, and we hope she has a long and happy retirement,” Kristina said. Happily for the Children’s Ark, Bonnie’s sister Bella has now picked up the baton. Emma Hogan, Bonnie’s and Bella’s handler and owner - and secretary to UHL respiratory consultant, Dr Brian Casserly - is a lifelong animal lover who became interested in the work of Irish Therapy Dogs after she’d witnessed the heartbreak of a relative who was separated from their companion pet after being placed in a nursing home. Although younger and of more diminutive stature than her big sister, Bella, a two-yearold miniature schnauzer, does not live in Bonnie’s shadow. She is the mother of five puppies who are now three months old.
From left to right: Sadie O’Malley from Castleconnell, Co Limerick, pictured with Bonnie during the beloved therapy dog’s final rounds at the Children’s Ark paediatric unit in University Hospital Limerick; Bonnie’s little sister Bella, who will be joining her owner Emma Hogan on regular visits to the Children’s Ark with the Irish Therapy Dogs Visiting Team.
UL Hospitals Group has launched a new Visitor Booking App to provide loved ones of hospital inpatients and women using maternity services with a convenient, efficient way of organising access to the Group’s six hospital sites. Inpatients or women accessing maternity services are asked to nominate their visitors, support persons or partners, and this information is recorded on the Group’s Integrated Patient Management System (iPMS). If patients are unable to communicate during admission, staff will organise this with their loved ones. When this information is entered, people are able to book their visit on the Visitor Booking App, which can be accessed from a range of devices, including desktop PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. Project lead, Bernadette Murphy, Director of Nursing, Perioperative Directorate, UL Hospitals Group, said, “While COVID-19 continues to present challenges in healthcare settings, we recognise the importance of visiting and support for our inpatients, and for their loved ones. “We have worked with the Limerick-based company Ingenium to develop an app that will make this entire visiting and access process much easier for everyone in the busy hospital environment. “Throughout the pandemic, we’ve used technology in a positive way, to help our inpatients maintain connections with their families and loved ones. This Visitor Booking App is the latest example of this, simplifying the manual processes that we have put in place for inpatients and their loved ones during the pandemic.”
Project Lead for the UL Hospitals Group Visitor App is Bernadette Murphy, Director of Nursing, Perioperative Directorate, UL Hospitals Group.
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