MADRID .- "No one dies on the third floor unless Oscar will make a visit and stay a while." Oscar is not the doctor nor the priest, but a cat adopted by staff of a U.S. nursing home when he was a puppy. The medical journal The New England Journal of Medicine tells the story of this animal, since coming to Steere House has predicted the death of a dozen inmates.
Oscar lives on the third floor, dedicated to patients with end-stage dementia, for just over two years. "I think one of the staff members working on the ground brought him when he was a stray cat. It is not uncommon for nursing homes have pets. Steere House has several living in the building and provide companionship and comfort to residents "she tells David M. elmundo.es Dosa, a geriatrician for such a center and Rhode Island Hospital, both in Providence, USA.
However, this cat has a particularity. Dosa not remember the first case that alerted them of the ability of the Pussycat, but that "the gift of Oscar, if you want to call it, came to light about a year and a half. Since then, staff has closely monitored their activities related to the prediction, "says this doctor, who writes in the latest issue of the journal 'New England' on the cat. The mascot has predicted more than 25 deaths.
An example: "Oscar arrives at Room 313. The door is open and enters. Mrs. K. resting quietly in bed, her breathing steady but weak. (...) Oscar jumps on the bed and again sniffs the air. He stops to consider the situation and then turns on itself twice before curling beside Mrs. K. (...) A nurse enters the room to examine the patient. She pauses to note Oscar's presence. Concerned, hastily left the room and returns to his table. Take medical history and start making calls, "says the article. A half-hour, family members begin to arrive and the priest alerted by the nurse. Shortly thereafter, Mrs. K. died.
" His mere presence next the bed is viewed by physicians and nursing home staff as an almost absolute indicator of impending death, allowing staff members adequately notify families, "says Dosa, also a professor at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, also in Providence.
Explanation
" My impression is that animals are able to 'feel' things that we, as humans, we can not perceive. There is evidence from animals that are used to predict earthquakes and, of course, have told stories about animals that identify infections and so forth. My idea is that [Oscar] is able to smell something we do not, perhaps a pheromone. But ultimately, this is only an assumption, "summarizes the geriatrician Steere House.
On one wall of the center, extols the animal plate. "For his compassionate care, this plaque is dedicated to Oscar the Cat." "Certainly, Oscar is an extraordinary animal, but every day there are impressive signs of compassion and love in dementia units, of which few people realize. Unfortunately, as a society (at least in the USA) tend to avoid nursing homes by fear that one day we can live in one. Anyway, truly remarkable things occur daily in these centers. This is just one of them, "he says Dosa.
Source: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundosalud/2007/07/25/medicina/1185378818.html?a=517c30d7e0b26770bf7e792978a9296e&t=1185431749
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