Spring lambs delight care home residents
Spring lambs were among the strokable visitors putting smiles on the faces of residents at a Wellington dementia care home when a local petting farm came to visit recently.
The activities team at Camelot House and Lodge invited Second Chance Petting Farm to visit with some of their rescue animals, as well as one of the celebrity donkeys from sister organisation Kelly’s Donkeys.
Zillah Oakes, manager of Camelot House and Lodge, said: “The visit took place on a lovely sunny day, which meant that our ladies and gents could enjoy animal encounters both indoors and outdoors, and the smiles on their faces really said it all.
“Charlie the donkey – who has rubbed shoulders with the stars in episodes of Strictly Come Dancing, CBeebies and This Morning – is a proper little star himself and he came to meet residents inside the home as well as out in the sunshine.
“Just as popular were their lovely bunnies, Adam and Eve: our residents absolutely loved having cosy cuddles with them.
“And then there were guinea pigs and – to our great delight – some spring lambs.
“Being able to get up close and personal with all the animals gave such joy to our ladies and gents, many of whom are real animal lovers, and some even have farming backgrounds.
“We regularly arrange different kinds of animal encounters at Camelot House and Lodge because animal therapy is known to offer significant benefits to people living with dementia, delivering benefits to both physical and mental health, and it is consistently popular.”
The petting farm visit is part of a full and varied programme of activities available to residents of the home which is run by award-winning dementia care provider Camelot Care. The organisation also runs homes in Bridgwater and Yeovil in Somerset, and in Holsworthy and Plymouth in Devon.
