Aging in Place with Pets Program
A Caring Partnership Between Cathedral Square, SASH, and the Center on Aging at the University of Vermont
The mission of this program is to help our residents across our independent living, assisted living, and special-purpose housing communities whose goal is to not only age in place but also age in place with one of their best friends and closest family members – their pets.
About
Dr. Blake Randell is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who specializes in the instrumental activity of daily living (IADL) of the care of pets. He and his interns among students from the University of Vermont, St. Michael’s College, and Champlain College collaborate with our residents to improve their safety, independence, and effectiveness in this IADL. They are calming, reassuring, nonjudgmental, and nonintimidating individuals who are passionate about helping our residents whose pets help them to structure their morning, daytime, evening, and nighttime routines.
Requirements
- Live at one of the following Cathedral Square communities: Cathedral Square Assisted Living, Cathedral Square Senior Living, Juniper House, McAuley Square, and Thayer House in Burlington, Grand Way Commons in South Burlington, and Wright House in Shelburne. We hope to add other Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Special-Purpose Housing communities in the future. However, SASH coordinators, wellness nurses, and housing managers can feel free to reach out to us on behalf of residents at other communities in the case of an emergency. Please see our "Special Message to Community Members" section below for more information on how you can support this effort.
Recommendations
- Participate in SASH® (Support and Services at Home)
Examples of services
Helping residents with taking care of their pets during 1-2, 15- to 30-minute appointments per week (on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays), providing support such as:
- Talking with residents about our and their favorite topic of conversation – their pets!
- Walking, training, bathing, and grooming their dogs
- Maintaining litter boxes and grooming cats, including trimming nails
- Delivering food and other supplies from Pet Food Warehouse
- Transporting pets to and from the HSCC's Community Pet Clinic for wellness exams, sick pet visits, rabies vaccines and other vaccines, nail trims, etc.
- Ordering and administering medications (approved by the HSCC's veterinarian through their online pharmacy) such as flea and tick preventatives, heartworm preventatives, and more.
- Identifying and securing in case of emergency (ICE) contacts that can provide care for pets if staying at the hospital
- Helping to request reasonable accommodations (RAs) for pets to be considered emotional support animals (ESAs)
- Helping to prepare advance directives for pets in collaboration with their SASH coordinator and wellness nurse
Our residents can reference this flyer for more information about this program. They can also contact their SASH coordinator, wellness nurse, or housing manager at their Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Special-Purpose Housing Community to be referred to this program.
Opportunities to Support This Program
If you would like to support this program by becoming a volunteer or intern, please see the listing at the bottom of our Job Openings page for more information.
A Special Message to our Community Members
There is currently no cost for our residents to receive services available through this program. We understand that most of our residents are considered low-income or very low-income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and approximately 20% of our residents were considered homeless prior to moving into an apartment at one of our housing communities.
However, this program would not be possible without the unwavering commitment of Dr. Blake Randell who volunteers between 20-30 hours per week and his interns who volunteer between 3-12 hours per week, helping our residents with their pets. Please consider making a donation (or even a reoccurring donation) to this program by giving a gift here. Please be sure to include "Aging in Place with Pets" in the comments section of the form, or in the memo field on your check (to Cathedral Square, 412 Farrell Street Suite 100, South Burlington, VT 05403) if you prefer to mail in your gift.
Please support this program which currently serves between 50-75 residents with pets, emotional support animals, or service animals per week, and plans to expand to all Cathedral Square communities located throughout Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle Counties soon.
Please feel free to reach out to Dr. Blake Randell at Randell@cathedralsquare.org if you have any questions.
Thank you so much in advance for your support!
Fauve
"Meet Fauve, troublemaker-in-chief at Juniper House. Adept at shredding dandelions, terrorizing innocent insects minding their own business and nearly separating my arm from my shoulder on walks in pursuit of a tantalizing bird. Enter the Aging in Place with Pets program to the rescue. Saving me from involuntary amputation, ladybugs from untimely ends and birds from undue stress. Blake and his team even helped Fauve to get a part-time job. She is now comforting residents of Cathedral Square Assisted Living who no longer have pets, which makes me so happy and proud of her. For Cathedral Square residents who sometimes struggle to keep their pets well exercised and stimulated, they are offering a wonderful team of interns who can help out with that and more. I urge anyone with a pet to take advantage of this incredibly supportive service."
ELIZABETH, Juniper House resident
Marley
“My dog Marley has been a central part of my life for the past 13 years. His unconditional love and unwavering support are incredibly important to me. As he and I both get older, I realize and appreciate the support and services available through this Aging in Place with Pets program. This program is designed to meet my dog and I’s specific needs so that we can lead our lives with dignity and respect, which is why it is so invaluable to both of us.”
LINDA, Wright House resident
Lucy and Molly
“My two cats are two-year-old Lucy, and three-month-old Molly. I adopted Lucy in February 2024 when she was two. She was the ‘runt’ of a litter of Maine Coons and sports a beautiful coat of calico. She’s a sweet little gal who loved to play to the point of always wanting me to initiate it. I figured she needed a playmate, so just 4 months later, I adopted a 2-month-old kitten and renamed her Molly (see picture at left courtesy of the Humane Society of Chittenden County). Except Lucy was used to being the ‘only child’ and it took her 2 days to stop hissing, growling and swatting at Molly. Then she realized that Molly was here to stay, and that she really could be her playmate.
"And now, that’s exactly what they are – inseparable. They sleep together, groom each other and play with each other. For about 20 minutes every morning after eating, they chase each other around the apartment and look like ping pong balls, zooming everywhere. Then they get tuckered out and collapse and fall asleep together. They are such a joy to watch, to interact with, and to greet me at the door when I come back home. Never having had any kids of my own, they have become such good company.
"I can’t say enough good things about the Aging in Place with Pets program. And I can’t thank Dr. Blake Randell along with his wonderful interns (especially those who accompanied me at HSCC) enough. They not only helped me with adopting my two cats but also have been assisting me with taking care of them here at my independent living community ever since."
LUCILLE, Wright House resident