Exemplar Health Care residents benefit from pet therapy
14 April 2022
Animal therapy is a social interaction activity that incorporates animals, such as dogs, cats and rabbits.
Interacting with animals can be calming, exciting and stimulating. It can help to reduce depression, build confidence and have a positive impact on mental health.
The benefits of animal therapy in care homes include:
- reducing loneliness
- instilling a sense of purpose
- boosting activity levels
- reducing stress and alleviating depressing
- promoting positive interactions.
At Exemplar Health Care, our complex needs care homes have visits from therapy animals on a regular basis.
Animals provide companionship for care home residents
At our Greenside Court care home in Rotherham, our Home Manager Jayne brings her dog Charlie in to lend some comfort and affection to our residents.
Charlie loves going around the home and cheering everyone up.
Jayne shared: “ Service users love it when Charlie visits and always ask about him when he’s not here. Their reactions are always happiness when they see him and most want to stroke him or say hello. One lady here at Greenside Court immediately calms in Charlies presence, her face lights up and she begins laughing. She begins pointing her finger towards him which means she would like to stroke him. Some service users like to save a little treat for him when he visits which he is always willing to accept!”
Animal therapy improves physical activity
Interacting with animals can increase people’s motivation to join in other activities such as exercise or interacting with others.
At our Havenmere care home in Lincolnshire, they have a regular therapy dog visitor named Clyde. Clyde loves all the attention he receives from our residents at Havenmere and he’s very happy to go from person to person and being stroked all day long.
Clyde even got his own little hat from St Patrick’s Day!
Time for walkies
When animals visit our complex needs care homes, it doesn’t always have to be inside.
Recently, when our newly opened Bennett Court care home in Birmingham received a furry visit, some of our residents joined in on taking the dog for his daily walk around the community nearby.
One of our Clinical Nurse Managers, Amanda, shared: “I can't believe how happy and animated our resident was!”
Our Neville Court care home in Barnsley also joined in on the dog walks during their ‘Love Your Pet Day’, when one of our Activities Team members brought Frankie in to meet the residents for a day full of strokes and playing.
Visits from ZooLab
Visits from ZooLab are very popular across our homes, they engage with residents in an informative way through their unique animal workshops. Their Animal Therapy Sessions help stimulate and engage whilst promoting mental wellbeing.
They recently visited our Fairburn Vale care homes in Castleford, and our residents were happy to hold and touch the animals, including bearded dragons, centipedes, guinea pigs, rabbits and snakes!
Complex care placements with Exemplar Health Care
Exemplar Health Care is a leading provider of specialist nursing care for adults living with complex needs.
Our holistic approach and high staffing levels enable us to provide person-centred care that focuses on maximising independence and empowering people to live their best lives.
Animal therapy is just one of the ways that we aim to make every day better for our residents.
Read more about our care, and get in touch to make a referral.
Health care jobs with Exemplar Health Care
At Exemplar Health Care, there are endless ways that you can make a difference, from caring, nursing and activities, to administration, housekeeping and occupational therapy.
Our homes have a range of roles where you’ll become a valuable and appreciated part of the team.
And, you might even get to play with cute animals in your role!
To get an insight, read more about a day in the life of an Activities Coordinator at Exemplar Health Care.
If you’d like to join the Exemplar Health Care family, use our online job search to find the perfect job for you.
Here are some quick links to some of our most popular roles.