A smile illuminates Eleanor Kacala's face as the Cleveland resident bends to pick up a sponge rubber ball dropped from the mouth of Rudy, a 1½-year-old silver labrador retriever. Kacala grasps the ball in her hand and tosses it across the courtyard for Rudy to retrieve, much to her and the canine's delight.

"Rudy is helping me with my balance," Kacala said. "He helps me to keep my mind off of my troubles. Having him around lowered my blood pressure. Just by being with him he's helping with my rehabilitation."

Usually you can find Kacala with her physical therapist in the rehabilitation gym at The Village at Marymount in Cleveland, except on Tuesdays, when she has her "date" with Rudy, a four-legged therapist who belongs to physical therapist Jennifer Trecaso.

Physical therapist Jennifer Trecaso  and resident Helen Tomba with Rudy.

The Village at Marymount began its new Therapy Program with Dogs on June 1. The program is designed to improve a therapy resident's balance and functionality by allowing them to perform routine tasks with Rudy's help.

"By throwing the ball to Rudy, the resident has to walk, balance themselves, and use their strength," said physical therapist Jennifer Trecaso, who developed the program with Silvia Stillion, Director of Rehabilitation. "Many of our residents who are receiving therapy have a pet at home. They may not have been sure if they can walk or play with their dog. This program allows them to do so - and so much more - when they return home."

Studies show interaction between humans and animals can provide a variety of benefits to adults during the rehabilitation process, Stillion said. The physiological benefits include relaxation in the presence of a dog or other animal. Tests have shown the decrease in heart rate and blood pressure, as is the case with Kacala, can be dramatic. Animals also help to boost the mood of a resident, prompting them to work harder to accomplish their goals.

"There has been a lot of research done on the physiological effects of pet therapy in a person's rehabilitation process," Stillion said. "Therapy with pets can raise endorphins and serotonin levels in the brain, allowing residents to do better during therapy."

Trecaso and Stillion are employed by Therapy Partners Organization, which is contracted by The Village at Marymount to provide rehabilitation services to its residents.

"Therapy Partners Organization encourages its therapists to provide unique treatments for residents," Stillion said. "The therapy program for dogs is one example of a unique treatment option. Jennifer got the idea for the program when she saw how responsive the residents were when a rehabilitation technician brought her puppy to visit them in rehab. They all responded well to playing with the dog."

Trecaso went to Stillion with her new rehab idea and the two implemented the program. The Rehabilitation Department currently offers the program once a week--at 9 a.m. each Tuesday--with plans to add more days, Stillion said.

Dogs like Rudy increase opportunities for exercise and socialization, Trecaso said. All of the exercises and routine tasks that Rudy helps the residents with they also must do when they go home. Residents also work on their coordination skills by brushing Rudy and taking him for short walks. Although Rudy is not professionally licensed, he has been to several obedience training classes, Trecaso said.

 "They're getting up and they're bending over," Trecaso said of the residents. "They're working on their endurance, strength, range of motion, and flexibility which pretty much encompasses all of therapy -- but this program makes it more fun and functional for when they go home."

Jennifer Trecaso helps resident  Veronica Gadek brush Rudy.

Dan Storey, administrator for The Village at Marymount's Villa St. Joseph, said part of the program's goal is to simulate the conditions residents will encounter when they return home. "Therapy with a dog is not institutionalized," he said. "The program gets our residents outside for a little fresh air and exercise. They really have responded well to Rudy and this program."

Storey said dogs also can help to build rapport with residents and therapists by establishing a channel of emotional security and nonthreatening communication between them. Animals also tend to accept residents without qualification by being nonjudgmental and forgiving.

"Animals help to present residents in rehab with a sense of emotional safety which residents also benefit from during therapy," Storey said. "We all enjoy watching them respond to Rudy. Our residents really get into this program, and Jennifer and Silvia have done a good job with it."

During a rehab session it's often difficult to discern who enjoys the program more--Rudy or the resident. One thing is certain: both are reaping the benefits of helping each other.