Ferndown Manor takes a walk on the wild side

Home news

Aug 03, 2017

Ferndown Manor took a walk on the wild side when residents were given the opportunity to get up close and personal to a host of creatures and critters from around the globe.

The team invited animal therapy specialists, Creature Teachers, to lead a ‘show and tell’ workshop with residents.

A host of interesting animals, including a lizard, tortoise and different types of owl, were among those presented to residents.  As part of the session, Creature Teachers provided interesting facts on each of the individual animals, and residents who dared were also able to handle and stroke the interesting creatures.

Home manager, Janet Lewis, said: “We are always looking to plan interesting and exciting activities for residents, and as so many have a keen interest in nature and wildlife, we invited Creature Teachers along to provide a fun animal therapy session. 

“It proved to be a real success and you could see from residents’ reactions just how engaged and fascinated they were by the chance to get so close to such a varied collection of animals.  Not only did the workshop fit really well with our ‘activity based care’ approach here at Ferndown Manor, it was also fantastic to see the smiles on everyone’s faces, and we believe it provided real therapeutic benefits for residents – especially those living with dementia.”