SERVICES FOR VETERANS Seeing a difference

SERVICES FOR VETERANS

Seeing a difference

Irwin Stovroff, a 90-year-old World War II veteran who was honored at a recent ceremony in Hermitage, Pa., started a Boca Raton, Fla.-based organization called Vets Helping Heroes Inc., which provides guide dogs to blind and disabled veterans. Types of animals and their functions are as follows:

Assistance dogs: Provide help with daily activities and act as a “social bridge,” meaning people focus on the dog, not on the recipient’s disability.

Guide dogs: Trained to find and follow clear paths, maneuver around obstacles and stop at curbs.

Service dogs: Specially trained to assist people with disabilities other than visual impairment. Often are used to help with balancing, fetching and retrieving dropped items and carrying backpacks and other items.

Combat-stress-relief dogs: Deployed for active-duty personnel and provide emotional support to those suffering from combat stress, sleep disorders and other similar maladies.

Military-therapy dogs: Trained to offer physical-therapy assistance at military or veterans hospitals for injured soldiers. Also are used at VA nursing homes and hospice centers.

Source: Vets Helping Heroes Inc.