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Jan 23, 2006 1:00 am US/Central
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Program Trains Monkeys To Help Paralyzed Patients
(WCCO)
Without the use of their arms or legs, many paralyzed patients are left close to helpless, but a unique program is using monkeys to help the patients perform every day tasks.
The program, called Helping Hands, teaches Capuchin monkeys how to be the arms and legs for people who have lost the use of theirs.
The monkeys are trained to do things like take food from the refrigerator and heat it up in the microwave.
Chris Watts has been a quadriplegic since he dove into a pond and hit his head. He broke his neck and has no feeling from the chest down.
Watts said his helper, Sadie, has helped him out a lot around the house and is somewhat like having a daughter, a friend, a pet and a personal care attendant wrapped into one.
"If I dropped my water on the floor, or I dropped my pills or any of those kind of things, it stayed on the floor until someone came home," Watts said.
But Sadie has helped Watts become more independent. He uses a laser pointer to show Sadie what he wants.
Sadie can open the fridge to pull out a bottle of water, place the bottle in Watts' cup, open the top and put in the straw.
The monkeys are trained by Helping Hands, a national non-profit organization based in Allston, Mass. Monkeys live in foster homes for the first five years of their lives, and then they go to "Monkey College."
Each monkey is trained to do everyday tasks for people who can't.
"Every monkey is different and we look at what they do quite well naturally, what they enjoy doing and then we build on those abilities and place them in a situation where those are the very things some people need some help with," said Judi Zazula with Helping Hands.
Zazula said the monkeys tend to form wonderful relationships with people.
"They also are very curious and they love to manipulate objects and those are the very skills that are important that a person can't do for themselves," Zazula said.
It costs about $35,000 to train and care for each monkey. The costs are covered by donations and grants. The monkeys usually live for 30 to 40 years.
"We give something to each other," Watts said. "She needs my affection just as much as I need hers."
Watts said Sadie not only gives him increased independence, but companionship as well.
"It just feels really good," Watts said. "Just to know there's something that loves you unconditionally like she does."
The monkeys can serve for 25 to 30 years as a live-in companion. Each one takes about seven years to train.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)