Health: A New Way To Help Veterans With Brain Injuries
By Stephanie Stahl
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new way to help veterans with brain injuries. It's a four legged kind of specialized therapy in South Jersey.
Canines are being used almost like a piece of equipment, for vets with brain injuries.
Shamus the dog, is having a therapeutic tug of war with veteran Heath Wolf. He is helping Heath recover after five surgeries for brain cancer.
"On my second one they had to take part of the left side of my brain out," Heath said.
Thirty-eight-year-old Heath was a marine stationed in Hawaii in the late '90s. He was then placed in the reserves.
Doctors don't know what caused his brain tumor, but Heath thinks it's related to the series of Anthrax vaccines he was given as a marine.
"I was in the hospital for 200 days in one year, from April 2014 to April 2015," Heath said. "It's been hard because I haven't been able to really be with my kids."
The father of three, Heath is now on permanent disability and living in South Jersey.
He is currently rebuilding his strength in Neuro-Rehab at Bancroft, where Shamus is a star.
"They spend six to nine months in advanced training," Carolyn said.
Carolyn Tassini, his owner, says Shamus does Canine Assisted Therapy, which is a specialized form of pet therapy.
"He actually becomes one of our treatment tools," Carolyn stays.
The cone game, that Shamus and Heath play, helps Heath with balance and coordination. Working with a dog makes it more fun for patients.
"It kind of engages the person a little bit more," Carolyn said. "It makes it a little bit more interesting, and it really becomes a really interactive piece of therapy."
"He's very strong and he gets me going which is very fun," Heath said.
Rehab is hard and can be discouraging for patients like Heath, who have to relearn basic skills, but Shamus makes that work easier.
"He gets me so much better," Heath stated. "I'm totally in a different mood when he's working with me cause he gets me going, he really does!"
Shamus is a full time canine therapist at Bancroft, which specializes in rehabilitation for veterans with brain injuries.
