Visit Site Descriptions
Agnew State Hospital
This site is a great and rewarding site for most people and animals. Many of the people at this site haven't seen a dog or other animal in years. As a staff member informed me the families had enough trouble trying to take care of the person much less an animal. There will be numerous employees with the attendees at all times. It is held in a large indoor room.
Almaden Health and Rehabilitation Center
Almaden Health and Rehabilitation Center is a 77 bed facility near the corner of Union Avenue and Los Gatos-Almaden Road. Patients may be recovering from surgery, injury, or stroke; some are making decisions about long-term care. The staff is particularly friendly, not only welcoming our pets but also helping patients to interact with them. At present, only dogs are requested for this team.
Belmont Convalescent Hospital
Belmont Convalescent Hospital is a skilled nursing facility that provides a variety of care including short term, long term, rehabilitation, hospice, and more, to 33 residents. There is a wide selection of activities that are offered twice daily. During the morning hours, the activities are usually particiatory such as arts, crafts, current events, literature, bingo, and religious services. The afternoons often include entertainment and this is when Furry Friends guests usually arrive. We are welcomed and appreciated. It is common to see a resident's face "light up" when the animals visit.
Belmont Village Assisted Living
Belmont Village of San Jose is an Assisted Living Community. This 7 story facility has 120 beds including a person-centered living area for Alzheimer's residents. Belmont Village is an upscale community located at Santana Row. Residents are comparatively independent, verbal, active and extremely friendly. Staff members are welcoming and appreciative. Dogs of any size will be welcome to the team. As well as cats, rabbits, birds - a limit of 8 animals at a time would probably be appropriate. Visits will be in a group setting in the "Great Room" on the first floor. Check in at concierge desk. Good parking facility next door. TB test required.
Belmont Village Assisted Living Sunnyvale
Belmont Village of Sunnyvale is an Assisted Living Community that offers assistance with daily living. There is a separate, secured Alzheimers Neighborhood, all in a warm and comfortable environment. In a rather elegant although homelike setting, Furry Friends visits as a group with patients with memory loss (Circle of Friends) and with Alzheimers residents. There is ample parking in front of the building. Please, no treats, and wear Furry Friends attire unless visits coincide with holidays.
Camden Convalescent Hospital
This is a small 60 bed facility offering full time skilled nursing for long term stays and for the residents unable to live on their own. They have many residents who have lived there for 10-15 years as well as a lot of long term staff members. This facility offers outings for residents and daily activities. The favorite activity is the nightly bingo games. The residents love the animal visits which are held in the main activity room as well as in the individual rooms.
Cedar Creek
Cedar Creek is a 58 bed facility which offers specialized care to people with dementia, Alzheimer's, and other similar diseases. Their program is designed for people who cannot adequately care for themselves, and require a safe and pleasant environment in which to live. Residents are able to safely stroll both inside the building and outside on paths through the gardens and lawn area. The residents enjoy seeing and petting the animals brought to Cedar Creek.
Channing House
Channing House is a retirement center in residential downtown Palo Alto. It has apartments for independent living, as well as Skilled Nursing & Personal Care facilities. Furry Friends visit the clients on the Skilled Nursing floor. Most of the residents here are ardent animal lovers, many still regretting the animals they had to leave to move to Channing House. Our visits are clearly a source of great pleasure.
Coast Side Adult Day Health
Coast Side Adult Day Health is located in the downtown section of beautiful Half Moon Bay. Coast Side provides weekday assistance to seniors who are on doctor's prescription to attend this facility and have some physical or emotional limitations. The facility is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays and provides door-to-door bus service to/from the participant's home. On average, there are approximately 25 participants at the facility on a given day (maximum 45 participants). A hot lunch is provided and activities are planned throughout the 4 hour period. There are two general activity rooms (dining room) where Furry Friends conduct their visits. Participants are asked to remain in their seats during the visit and the pets are on-leash at all times.
Courtyard Care Center
Courtyard Care Center provides skilled nursing care and medical rehabilitation services. It is a 75 bed facility located just off Stevens Creek Boulevard between San Tomas and Saratoga. Many residents there are unable to get out of bed easily, so our Furry Friends go from room to room. When weather permits, our Furry Friends go out on the patio to visit, and they always make a stop in the activities room. Many of the residents there are animal lovers, and the Furry Friends visits bring a smile to their faces.
Driftwood Healthcare
Driftwood Healthcare is a skilled nursing facility in Santa Cruz providing long term care for residents. Our team first visits in a common area where the residents can get acquainted with the animals. We then visit individual rooms where the responses are heartwarming. This site is particularly rewarding, as the patients are very appreciative of our visits. We are a new team anxious for members large and small.
Eastfield Ming Quong
Eastfield Ming Quong Children & Family Services helps children with serious emotional disturbances and their families achieve emotional and mental health. For more information, visit their web site at www.emq.org. Rain or shine, this visit includes dogs of all sizes, as well as several cats. Properly controlled dogs may be allowed off leash at this site, to play fetch, etc. Dogs on this team must get along well with other dogs and children. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
El Camino Hospital Adolescent Health Unit
The Adolescent Health Unit at El Camino Hospital is a treatment center (15 beds) for young people with eating disorders and related conditions. We generally meet in the carpeted hallways between the rooms, where the patients come and sit on the floor and enjoy petting the dogs and talking with the volunteers. In good weather, we all meet outside on a large patio and the dogs are able to roam from person to person. We also make bedside visits to those patients who are on bed rest, as well as to the younger patients in the adjoining Pediatric Medical Care Unit (16 beds). The entire staff is very supportive and interactive with team members and dogs.
Forum at Rancho San Antonio
This facility provides both assisted living and skilled nursing care. We divide our time between both units. Most of the residents in skilled nursing use wheelchairs, and occasionally we will visit a bed-ridden resident in his/her room. The assisted living residents are more active and always look forward to our visits. They have even surprised us with treats for our pet to enjoy during the visit.
Gilroy Health Care and Rehab Center
This is a large facility with over 100 residents. The facility offers full time skilled nursing for long term stays and for residents unable to live on their own. The facility also has a few people who are there short term for rehabilitation. Most residents are limited in their mobility, some are bedfast. Therefore, we visit the main area by going room to room providing one on one interaction and building friendships. There is also an Alzheimer's wing where we visit in a common area lifting the spirits of the residents there. The staff has been very friendly and the residents love the animals and welcome our visits.
Green Hills Manor
Green Hills Manor is a small nursing home/convalescent hospital facility in a residential area. The residents are about equally divided between those who are very low functioning (almost comatose) and those who are higher functioning. Since it is a small facility, the team should be kept small. The captains will be taking two or three of their dogs and would welcome a rabbit and or cat, and a lap-sized dog, but that is about it.
Hillview Convalescent Hospital
Hillview Convalescent Hospital is a 52 bed facility in Morgan Hill with a home-like atmosphere and friendly staff. All pets are welcome.
Hope Rehabilitation
At Hope Rehabilitation, we visit adults with moderate to serious developmental disabilities in at least three classrooms. Both clients and staff are extremely appreciative of our visits each month. It's rewarding to see the joy they have with the animals.
IOOF Childrens Home in Gilroy
The IOOF Childrens home in Gilroy is for abused children from ages 7-16. The living facilities consist of 4 bungalows that are residence for up to 30 children. This is an outdoor, off-leash visit. The kids have to complete their chores before they join the visit. Both dogs and cats are welcome. This is usually a very active site. The kids sometimes ride bikes, skateboard or play catch in the same area where furry friends are visiting. When there is rain unfortunately there is no visit because there is no indoor facility available for the furry friends' visit. The furry friends as well as the people volunteers are always made to feel welcome and appreciated by the kids who walk and play fetch with the dogs as well as groom them. Just sitting and visiting with a furry friend and volunteer is also a favorite pastime. This is a perfect visit for both active and not so active pets. There is always someone to appreciate both character traits.
Live Oak Adult Day Care
This day care facility in Gilroy is a lovely place with about 15 daily drop-in seniors who come Monday through Friday. Currently there are three dogs who visit and the seniors and staff alike thoroughly appreciate and enjoy the visits. The clients are very interactive with the dogs and love the attention. They especially like having the dogs sit with them for photographs. While they enjoy the dog visits, they also enjoy just chatting with the Furry Friends volunteers! It's a great group of people.
Live Oak - Cupertino (Cupertino-Sunnyvale Senior Day Services)
The Cupertino-Sunnyvale Senior Day Services, now Live Oak Cupertino, can accomodate 25-30 seniors. Live Oak is licensed for Alzheimer's and Belated Dementias. The room is set up to easily handle 8-10 medium to large furry friends. The site would love to have 2 visits a month, the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month from 1 PM to 1:30 PM. Most of the seniors we visit have mild to moderate dementia. They look forward to our visits and often we find our visits extend beyond the scheduled 30 minutes.
Los Gatos Meadows (Medical Unit 3rd Floor)
This is a beautifully appointed Senior Residential Center, owned and operated by the Episcopal Foundation. The third floor infirmary (38 beds) cares for residents who are seriously ill, recovering from surgery, or no longer able to care for themselves in their private residence. Our team is small; parking is limited. Our dogs and cats must be well controlled, and extremely gentle. There is a "Resident Cat", to which we are very sensitive. Both residents and staff are extremely appreciative and hospitable. If time allows, we visit the fourth floor, where we are greeted by other residents.
Lucille Packard Children's Hospital
There are three PATS teams that visit Lucille Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH). Team One visits on the 3rd Wednesday, Team Two visits on the 4th Tuesday and Team Three on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Each team is comprised of 10 members and supported by several substitutes who visit the children in the hospital's 3rd floor Recreation Therapy Facilities. As most of the children being visited are there for very serious therapies, PATS members distribute themselves throughout the room and allow the patients to come to them. Lap pets are a premium on these teams. Each patient must have their Doctor's permission to attend, as pets are not allowed in patient's rooms. Patients receiving infusion therapies are accompanied by the I.V. apparatus, some are in wheelchairs and a few in their beds, making space coordination a challenge. The patients' ages are from babies to 18 years, and most are accompanied by parents and siblings, or by volunteers, all of whom enjoy the visits by our pets. As many patients are immuno-compromised, the health of our team members (both human and pets) is closely monitored.
Manor Care
Manor Care is a very nice 300 bed facility. This facility has a section for longer-term residents, a section for patients who are convalescing from recent medical care, and an Alzheimer's unit. Residents are delighted to see the animals; visits are conducted room-to-room, with a follow-up visit to an activity room if time permits. Both small and large dogs are welcome, but must be good with cats, as there are two cats on the team as well. Additional cats are also welcome, as well as other animals. Since this is a large facility, we are always looking for new members. All animals must be on- leash; many residents are restricted to beds, so small dogs should be able to be picked up and shown to the residents. Parking is in front of the facility on the street, and is plentiful. A TB test is required.
Mills Peninsula Hospital Burlingame
This is a skilled nursing floor with patients that need longer term hospital care. The volunteers and their pets visit a pre scheduled list of patients one at a time in their individual rooms. The rooms are small so the volunteers and their pets cycle through the list of patients that have requested visits. The patients and staff look forward to our visits and are always prepared for us. The Activities Coordinator goes out of her way to assure a pleasant visit for all.
Mills Peninsula Hospital San Mateo
Four team members and their dogs do individual patient room visits and also see a group of 2-4 patients in the activity room. Our patients are recovering from strokes or other traumatic injuries which require prolonged speech and ambulatory therapy. One of our most successful visits is to the renal dialysis unit where we visit while the patients are being dialyzed. Since we see this group of patients regularly, we have all become extended family.
Long term plans for this hospital are to turn it into a regional arthritis and cancer treatment facility. Pet therapy could provide significant benefits to a larger group of patients once the extensive remodeling is completed.
Mission De La Casa
Mission De La Casa is a nursint and rehabilitation center located on Alvin Avenue. The facility provides services for neurological disorders (stoke, Parkinson's disease, etc.); orthopedic problems (post fractures, soft tissue/joint injuries); pain management (headaches, arthritis, neck/shoulder pain, etc). Pets visit on the 3rd Saturday of every month at 3:00pm in two areas of the facility: Assisted Living patients who have not been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and those who do have Alzheimer's. The facility is culturally diverse with many patients awaiting our visits. Our visits bring smiles and positive reinforcement to residents in both areas of the center, as they remember the previous month's visits.
Mission Skilled Nursing Facility
This is a full time care facility in Santa Clara for seniors or adults who need care until they can return home. Visits are in a large room with approximately 25 clients in wheelchairs. Volunteers are also invited to go to rooms and visit bed bound clients. The clients here look forward to visiting with the pets, which are welcomed with lots of love and smiles. This site has had visits for many years. This team includes both dogs and cats.
Pacific Coast Manor
Pacific Coast Manor is a skilled and long term care facility located in Capitola, CA. The facility offers a complete continuum of care for the skilled or long term resident. The 99 bed facility has 44 rooms, 75 of which are long term and 24 short term. There is an open community room for visitation as well as individual patient rooms. Pacific Coast Manor is located one block east of the Capitola Library and 3 blocks west of Shadowbrook Restaurant, just off 41st Avenue in Capitola. The staff as well as patients look forward to visits from pets of all types.
Pacific Gardens Assisted Living Community
Pacific Gardens is a small assisted living and high-functioning dementia unit on the Sunnyvale/Santa Clara border. There are about 30 dementia patients that we visit in a large meeting room, or on nice days, in a beautiful courtyard. The 20 or so assisted living residents are scattered around. We either encounter them in the hallways, lobbies, or visit in their rooms. Any size animal of any species is welcome. Everyone there, including the staff, is thrilled to see us. There are no age restrictions and no TB required.
Pacific Hills Manor Convalescent Hospital
Pacific Hills Manor is a 100 bed facility in Morgan Hill offering a continuum of care from skilled nursing to long term care. The average age of clients is around the late seventies. Most of the residents use wheelchairs and some are unable to leave their beds. The facility's goal is to improve the residents’ functional abilities and promote independence in the home-like setting. Activities are provided to meet the physical, mental, social and spiritual needs of the residents. Bringing animals into the facility, for the residents to see and pet, brings great joy to them.
Palo Alto Veterans Hospital
The VA Palo Alto Health Care System offers comprehensive health care services to veterans and non-veterans on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The second floor Hospice unit has approximately 30 beds but the number of patients varies considerably from week to week. The hospice staff members are outstanding; they enjoy our visits as much as the patients and their families! We visit every other Friday. This is a room-to-room visit, but the dogs visit with people in front of the hospital, in the lobby and in the hallways on their way up to the second floor. Our team currently includes one very mellow Siamese cat. We also visit every other Friday in Building 5 in the activity room.
Pilgrim Haven Retirement Community (Medical Unit)
Pilgrim Haven is a very nice nursing home. The residents are mostly mobile, some in wheelchairs, others have a walker. You can visit in a group in the recreation room and go to visit the residents in their rooms. The rooms vary in size from one to three residents. They love animals of all sizes. Some like to give pets treats, so don't forget a few. The staff is very welcoming.
Ronald McDonald House
Palo Alto Ronald McDonald House (520 Sand Hill Road, Palo Alto, CA 94304) is a "home away from home" for families with critically ill children, who are being treated at Lucille Packard Children's Hospital. There are 48 rooms at the house, which is almost always fully occupied, but it is hard to predict how many adults and/or children will be there at any given time, since they spend a lot of time at the hospital. The visits are outside on an enclosed patio. During inclement weather, we plan to move indoors and meet in a large communal area.
Santa Clara County Children's Shelter
This facility is a temporary home in San Jose for children of all ages, whose families are unable to care for them. This is an outdoor visit with a large team including many dogs of all sizes, as well as a cat or two. Properly controlled dogs may be allowed off leash at this site, to play fetch, etc. Dogs on this team must get along well with other dogs. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
Santa Clara County Juvenile Hall
This is a facility for minors who are incarcerated. Volunteers are required to go through police screening procedures before their first visit. Our visits mostly take place outdoors with groups of youngsters and last about two hours. Typically about 12 volunteers attend each month. Active dogs often do well at this visit. Because many dogs are off leash and activity level is high, it is important that all pets be non aggressive, even in hectic situations, and that owners of small animals monitor them to avoid accidental injury.
San Jose Family Shelter
This facility is a temporary home in San Jose for families who are currently unable to afford housing in the area. The parents are working and/or going to school and live with their children at the shelter until they can save enough money for their own place. If you enjoy working with kids, this is the site for you! This is an outdoor visit with a small team of multi-generational human volunteers and both small and large dogs. We don't currently have any cats or bunnies at the site, but they would be very welcome. Properly controlled dogs may be allowed off leash at this site, to play fetch, etc. Dogs on this team must love children and get along well with other dogs.
San Tomas Convalescent Hospital
San Tomas Convalescent Hospital is a 130 bed skilled nursing home located on Payne Avenue and San Tomas Expressway in San Jose. Furry Friends has been visiting this site for many years. The residents are between the ages of 67 and 101. The facility encourages the visits since the residents need socialization due to their long term care needs. We have a dozen active volunteers with approximately 6 to 10 people visiting each month. The facility welcomes any type and size animal. Currently we have large, medium and small dogs of various breeds visiting. A few of the residents are in wheelchairs in the lobby or hallways when we arrive. A majority of the residents are in their beds, therefore the team splits up and goes to individual rooms to visit as many people as possible. The facility is very clean and the floors are always being polished when we arrive. We always accept new team members.
Saratoga Adult Day Care
This site has approximately 20 people and has an upbeat atmosphere. Everyone is in one large room, many in wheelchairs. The patients have daily projects. Everyone is happy to see the pets when we visit. We could use one or two more volunteers with pets.
Saratoga Retirement Community
This team of Furry Friends visits with residents in the Assisted Living Program at Saratoga Retirement Community. This is a modern facility located on beautiful park-like grounds in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Visits occur in a common area either indoors or outdoors as well as in residents’ rooms. Furry Friends may also visit the facility’s Special Care Unit, a 7-bed unit which cares for people with Alzheimer’s. This is an on-leash, dogs-only team out of respect for Monty, the resident cat. Residents and staff alike are warm and welcoming to all furry friends and their people. A Confidentiality Statement is required to be on file for all human volunteers.
Saratoga Sub-Acute Center
This is a residential home for children aged 0 - 21 with severe physical disabilities. Most are wheelchair bound. Smaller animals desired since they can be placed on laps or on beds within easy reach of the children. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and have TB shots.
Sequoias Retirement Community
The Sequoias is a life care community situated on 42 beautifully landscaped acres in the residential hills of Portola Valley. Three distinct living situations exist at the Sequoias, two of which are visited by 10-15 Furry Friends on the 2nd Saturday of each month. Numerous apartments comprise the majority of the Sequoias buildings, occupied by completely independent and very productive and talented individuals. We do not visit the apartment owners but do see residents in the Health Center and the Lodge. The Health Center has 48 beds and provides skilled nursing services to its residents, most of whom use wheel chairs for mobility. Furry Friends volunteers meet in their spacious day room, complete with a big screen TV featuring videos of puppies to complement our visit. We have lately started playing "doggy tic tac toe" in the meeting area, which the residents enjoy immensely! We also walk through the outdoor resident-maintained garden into a large, lovely building referred to as the Lodge, where folks needing only minimal assistance reside. The residents here number about 20 and live in private rooms just off the main foyer which they may furnish and decorate with their own possessions, symbols of their fascinating former travels, occupations and interests. The residents are always joyful to see us coming and enjoy watching, discussing and most of all, petting our animals. We frequently hear from the staff how much everyone looks forward to our monthly visits, which makes our volunteers eager to return.
Sunny View Retirement Community
Come join our site! Our small team needs Furry Friends, as two of our people went back to
school. No special medical tests are required, so you only need to sign basic forms. Team
members can visit once or twice a month as your schedule permits. We currently have two dogs and
an occasional rabbit-in-a-basket, and welcome all types of friendly pets to join our team.
Sunny View is conveniently located off Highway 85 and Stevens Creek, and the seniors and staff
there welcome us with open arms. The facility is charming and freshly renovated, with lovely
gardens and a fountain courtyard. Our Furry Friends visit two areas at Sunny View. Our first 30
minutes are spent in a large common area of the assisted living section, visiting with the 10-15
residents who come to us. This is a fun time with our dogs performing tricks and even taking
turns retrieving a ball indoors (to keep elderly arms in shape!), and of course talking with these
active seniors while they enjoy petting the animals. The next 30 minutes are in the skilled
nursing/Alzheimer's unit visiting residents in a common room and then private rooms as time
allows. Most of the seniors in this area have serious medical challenges, so Furry Friends visits
really brighten their days!
Sunnyside Gardens in Sunnyvale is a residential care facility providing
care to 84 elderly residents. The facility has an Assisted Living Unit
and has an Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Unit. Most residents are frail,
but mobile, some use wheelchairs and walkers. The residents, especially
the men, enjoy the pet visits and look forward to our visits. They like
to pet and talk about the animals. A staff person from the Activity Department
is always present when we visit. We visit on a one-to-one basis and in
a group with the residents who have dementia. Dogs are leashed
for the visit. Sunshine Villa visits in the common areas and in the Alzheimer's unit
downstairs. We probably see 15 - 20 residents in the Villa, and approx.
between 6 - 10 patients in the Alzheimer's wing. We currently have 4
active team members. We have 3 large dogs and one small dog. We could
use some smaller animals on the team. This is an indoor site in San Jose with children ages 1-16. We meet
in a very small play room. Volunteers move from client to client or the
clients come to the pets. No visits occur in individual rooms. Everyone
is in close proximity to each other and all clients. Pets should be on
the calm side. At this time the team will be limited to 4 pets. We will
create a substitute list when a regular member is unable to attend. All
animals must be on leash at all times. This is an indoor site in San Jose with adult clients who are brought
to a large room in wheelchairs. Volunteers move from client to client.
No visits occur in individual rooms. The dogs are in close proximity
so dogs must get along with humans and other dogs. Any cats must be comfortable
being carried or on a lap with many dogs close by. All animals must be
on leash at all times. Westgate Villa is an assisted living that was formerly associated with
Villa Fontana. The team meets in the main gathering room. Generally,
the guests number about 10 to 15, but it can be more or fewer as other
activities dictate. These people greatly appreciate and welcome the pets.
Many of these people had to give up their own animals to move into Westgate,
and the loving attention of a furry friend brings them great joy. Sunnyside Gardens
Sunshine Villa
Valley
Medical Center Pediatric Ward
Valley
Medical Center Spinal Cord and Head Trauma Wards
Vista Manor Nursing Facility
Vista Manor Nursing Facility is a 100 bed facility in
San Jose located behind Regional Medical Center (formerly Alexian Brothers
Hospital). The team visits a group of 12 - 15 people in wheelchairs in
a large activity room first; then we visit people in their rooms who are
interested in seeing the dogs. We also visit the physical therapy room
if it is being used. Dogs remain on leash for this visit; dogs or cats
of any size are welcome!!
Westgate Villa
