“Grayce is unconditional love. She is my companion.”
Nothing compares to the joy of the loyal companionship of a pet. Their unconditional love provides comfort and can help reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Pets can ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and as Liz – a Milestone Manor resident – has discovered, pets are a source of emotional comfort and support.
When Liz first came to Milestone Manor in July 2020, she instantly formed a bond with the Grayce, Milestone’s house cat, and since then the bond between the two has deepened. “Grayce is my four-legged friend,” Liz shares with fondness. “To me, Grayce is unconditional love. She is my companion. She is great company and makes me feel like I’m not alone.”
“Playing with Grayce, especially with her cat toys is so fun,” Liz explains. “She is so cute when she chases the light from a flashlight. I have fun watching her as I move the light around the room. Grayce also likes to chase her own tale, which makes me laugh.”
Liz lives with a psychiatric condition that causes her to feel anxiety and hear voices. “Petting Grayce helps me calm down when I am anxious,” she shares. “It is better than taking an anti-anxiety PRN. The bond I have with Grayce soothes me. Petting her helps quiets the voices, which reduces my anxiety. Grayce also sleeps with me most nights, which I love. It makes me feel even closer to her.”
Program Director, Dawn Daum, and the staff at Milestone Manor are helping Liz learn to care for all of Grayce’s needs. Liz is on the wait list for Supported Housing. When there is an opening, the plan is to help Liz move to an apartment that accepts pets so she can take Grayce with her when she moves. In preparation, Liz has taken on much of the responsibility for her care. “I clean her litter box and I give Grayce her food and water. I sit with her while she eats to keep her company. She even understands me when I tell her ‘Eat your food.’ But the most favorite thing I do is give Grayce her morning treats.”
“Dawn was so accepting. She made feel very welcomed.”
Liz was diagnosed with a psychiatric condition in May 2009. At the time she was not caring for herself – physically, medically, nor emotionally. She was self-medicating with alcohol and crack cocaine, which only further exasperated her psychiatric condition. To assist Liz in caring for herself, Beth Donworth, CASAC at Saratoga County Addiction Services (SCAS), made referral for Liz to Milestone Manor. “It took a lot for me to ask for help, as I am one to do things on her own,” Liz says, “but I knew I needed help. I didn’t have anyone else in my life to help me. Dawn was so kind and accepting the day I met her. She made feel very welcomed and that I belonged. Then, when I saw Gracie, I knew I wanted to be here.”
“I have been sober since the day I moved into Milestone,” Liz proudly proclaims. While at Milestone Manor she has learned to care for herself and manage her psychiatric conditions. “I really appreciate being here. The staff let me go at my own pace while working towards my goals.
“Becoming be stable on my medications has helped me the most.”
“The biggest thing that has helped me while living here was becoming be stable on my medications. Before coming to Milestone, I rarely took my medications, but now I take them regularly. When I first came here, staff held my medications and I had to meet with staff each day to ensure I took them. Now I am learning to manage my medications independently.” Liz is currently holding her own medication supply and reports at the end of each day that she has taken her medications at the prescribed time. “Staff still prompt to fill my medication dispenser each week, so I get into the habit of doing it because it is easier to keep track of them when I use the dispenser.” Liz calls in her medication refills to Stone Pharmacy who delivers them to the house. “I felt confident through each stage of Med Management and Training program and now I am able to take them on my own which is good training for when I am in my own apartment through Supported Housing.”
“The coping skill that helps me the most is cuddling Grayce.”
While at Milestone Manor Liz has also developed her coping skills. “I listen to classic rock, write in my journal, especially about current events. I like to write my own ideas about them, and since no one else is reading it, I feel free to express my own opinions. And of course, the coping skill that helps me the most is cuddling and petting Grayce.”
An important skill that Liz has learned while at Milestone Manor is telling herself that everything in life is temporary. “It is really helpful, especially when I am anxious or feeling overwhelmed by the voices. When I tell my self that this is only temporary, it helps see the bigger picture, and puts worries and concerns in perspective.”
Liz says that another important skill she has learned while living at Milestone Manor is to set boundaries with other people. “Other people were influencing my choices, and then the voices would make it worse. I often didn’t know which ideas were mine, other peoples, or if they were the voices. By setting boundaries with others – not letting them influence my choices – helps me recognize my own ideas. Taking my medications helps put the voices in the background, and when things do become overwhelming, I use the assistance of staff and my supports to help me identify what is true and what might be a delusion.”
“We share belly laughs, and we are confidants.”
Her biggest supports are two female peers – one who also lives at Milestone and another one who lives in the community. “We share belly laughs, and we are confidants. I feel comfortable talking to both these women.”
“My friend at Milestone Manor and I have breakfast together nearly every day. We go for walks to get coffee at Stewart’s Shop, and we enjoy walking around town just to people watch. In the evening when it is nice out, we sit around the fire pit – sometimes even making hotdogs and smores.”
“Both these friends are supper supportive, and make her feel safe,” she shares. “I can turn to them when I’m struggling with negative thoughts and vice versa. We all struggle with the same types of anxious and negative thoughts, and we understand each other. We help each other talk through them before we act out on them, which could lead to negative consequences. We help each other take responsibility for our own thoughts and identify them as just thoughts so we can dismiss them.”
The staff at Milestone Manor are proud of how far Liz has come while in the program. They encourage her to continue to develop her relationships that will help her when she leaves the program. They are excited to help her learn to care for Grayce to realize her dream of having Grayce for a pet when she moves into her own Supported Housing apartment.