Every Tuesday, Lansdowne Care Home has a visit from Rachel and her therapy dog, Max, as part of an initiative from animal charity Mayhew.
‘Therapaws’ is an animal assisted intervention programme designed to promote physical, social and emotional wellbeing in places like hospitals, care homes and SEN schools.
During activity morning, the residents can interact with Max, give him treats, and pet him.
Therapaws manager Tania Judd said: “It’s amazing to see that people start to remember past pets and that the dog enjoys interacting with lots of people.
“Just stroking a dog can lower blood pressure, so it seems to destress people when a dog comes into a room, and people start smiling and opening up.”
Interactions with dogs have been shown to improve quality of life, such as by improving mood and generating companionship, according to data from Middlesex University.
There is a waiting list of 77 venues, and the wait time depends on how soon Mayhew can find a suitable dog who has been assessed according to the Therapaws guidelines.
To date, Therapaws has delivered 332 visits and reached more than 2,000 new people, but are always looking for new volunteers to achieve their targets.
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