KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Independence. Share your story idea with Claire.
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Saint Luke's Rehabilitation Institute has introduced a new "therapist" with a unique approach — a facility dog named Henli who is helping patients recover faster and with more enthusiasm.
While most patients at Saint Luke's use traditional equipment, like weights, for rehabilitation, Henli offers a different kind of therapy with her four legs and wagging tail.
Saint Luke's said she is the only facility dog of her kind in the Kansas City area.
"Even the patients that aren't seeing her, they lighten up when they see or even hear the like dangle of her collar as she's walking by," said Katie Maloy, occupational therapist at Saint Luke's Rehabilitation Institute.
Henli, who has been working at the institute for six months, helps patients get back on their feet while also lifting their spirits.
Henli was originally trained by Canine Companions and placed with Saint Luke's Rehab through the program. Physical and occupational therapists at Saint Luke's work together to identify which patients might benefit from sessions with the canine.
"So kind of first, we look at what medical conditions does that patient have going on? Are they on any kind of specialty precautions where there's just a risk of infection that would rule them out?" Maloy said. "Otherwise, we're then talking to the patients and saying, 'Hey, you like dogs?'"
RJ White, who has been in rehabilitation for more than two weeks to strengthen his legs and core functions, is one of the patients working with Henli.
"It's more engaging and more exciting," White said. "Because it's not just like I got a workout by myself, I get to work with the homie (Henli)."
Henli works with approximately four to eight patients daily, and her handlers have observed remarkable differences in patient responses.
"Truly, like one of the first patients we had walked a longer distance the very first time she worked with Henli. She had been walking about 40 to 50 feet every single time, and that was due to pain and fatigue. And then we introduced Henli, and within the first walk, the patient walked over 150 feet. So we tripled that distance," said Nathan List, physical therapist at Saint Luke's Rehabilitation Institute.
In addition to physical and occupational therapy, Henli also works with speech pathology patients. Her handlers say she is a permanent addition to the staff, and they hope to expand her skill set in the coming years.
"She is just one of a kind," List said.
Henli is currently being trained to paint, and the staff hopes to teach her to play pickleball so she can hit the ball back to patients during therapy sessions.
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