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A cancer patient’s cats inspired a push for pets in hospice wards
The proposal would give terminally ill patients a legal right to see their pets, which doctors say can ease loneliness and stress.
- Under proposed legislation in Poland, terminally ill patients would soon have the right to receive visits from their pets in hospices, establishing a universal legal standard where access currently varies by clinic.
- Tomasz Dzier, director of the Palliative Medicine Clinic at the Medical University, initiated the proposal after witnessing a patient's reunion with his cats, citing an "epidemic of loneliness" among terminally ill patients.
- On June 15, 2026, Malgorzata Brzozowska and her therapy dog Kluska visited patient Ewa Lutka-Krawczyk, who hopes to reunite with her dog, Gaja, during her palliative treatment.
- Lawmaker Katarzyna Piekarska introduced the legislation, which is currently under review by parliament's health committee, arguing that "animals in hospitals are already there anyway" and need legal regulation.
- Dzier emphasizes that therapy dog visits benefit hospital staff as well as patients, stating "We make sure that no patient dies alone," particularly those who have outlived friends.
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A cancer patient's cats inspired a push for pets in hospice wards
Medical student Malgorzata Brzozowska and her therapy dog Kluska visit the bedside of patient Ewa Lutka-Krawczyk at the Palliative Medicine Clinic at the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Vanessa Gera)Patient Ewa Lutka-Krawczyk holds the paw of Australian shepherd therapy dog Kluska at the Palliative Medicine Clinic at the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, Monday, June 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Rafal Niedzielsk…
Associated Press News+18 Reposted by 18 other sources
A cancer patient’s cats inspired a push for pets in hospice wards
In Poland, new legislation could allow pets to visit patients in hospices and palliative care wards. The proposal aims to ease the loneliness of terminally ill patients.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources21
Leaning Left11Leaning Right3Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution58% Left
Bias Distribution
- 58% of the sources lean Left
58% Left
L 58%
C 26%
R 16%
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