Animals in elderly care

We’ve always been a nation of animal lovers. After all, we were the first country in the world to start an animal welfare charity and recent UK pet population research finds that we keep over 40 million pets between us.

Cats and dogs are the most popular with 22 per cent of households owning a dog and 18 per cent owning a cat. There’s good reason for it too, other than how adorable they are; the health benefits people receive from our animal kingdom friends are wide-ranging.

Owning or having regular contact with pets and other animals can lower blood pressure, reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke, reduce stress levels and alleviate feelings of loneliness.

Many elderly care organisations invite animals into their care homes, recognising the benefits that they can bring to their residents and Quantum Care, a large not for profit care home provider in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Essex, are no different. They’re very fortunate, they say, to have some excellent partnerships with individuals and organisations that regularly visit their homes with pets and other animals, and after the covid-19 hiatus, they’re gradually welcoming them back into their homes, with pre-visit testing and other safeguards in place.

Jubilee Court, their home in Stevenage, recently welcomed back Cleo the dog who is very popular with residents. Cleo is a rescue dog, originally from Romania, who lives with her owner Kim. They are part of the Pets as Therapy initiative. During the pandemic, when visiting was not permitted, Kim created Jigsaw puzzles depicting Cleo and sent them into the home, along with regular picture postcards all of which were enthusiastically received by residents and staff.

Cleo was finally able to visit again recently and the residents were delighted. They’d very much missed the visits, which usually took place every fortnight or so. Carol, Jubilee Court’s activity organiser said:

“I always let our residents know beforehand when Cleo and Kim are due to come in and their faces always light up. It’s so good to welcome them back! It really is great therapy for our residents when they visit and they’ve been missed so much. Cleo really wants to be here and, even after all this time, still knows her way around the home.”

Garden City Court, Quantum Care’s home in Letchworth Garden City, recently welcomed back Colin from Wings of Freedom. They are a bird of prey sanctuary who were regular visitors to the home. Colin brought along a number of birds including Norman, a 60-year-old owl and another owl called One Eye Joe. The residents were very happy to see them again after all this time and to hear Colin talk about the subject, which he is clearly very passionate about.

Visiting animals and their knowledgeable keepers, owners and handlers can really help to make a difference to the lives of care home residents. After all, there’s a reason why so many of us have pets at home. We love them. This doesn’t change when our home happens to be a care home.

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