Making hiss-tory – Stroud care home welcomes animal friends

A care home in Stroud has come up with a novel way to care for older people – with the help of some unusual guests.

The team at Care UK’s Scarlet House, on Westward Road, has implemented animal therapy as part of the residents’ care plans, with regular visits already taking place.

 

Residents have been visited by a host of interesting animals, including snakes, giant snails, guinea pigs and donkeys for several ‘show and tell’ workshops, led by Zoolab. As part of the sessions, residents were provided with interesting facts on each of the individual animals, and were also able to handle and stroke the friendly creatures.

The initiative is already having a very positive effect on residents, especially those living with dementia, and the home is looking to arrange more visits in the future. 

Sharon Morgan, Home Manager at Scarlet House, 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, so we invited Zoolab to provide fun animal therapy sessions."

“It proved to be a real success, and the results so far are beyond our expectations. Being close to animals can help lift a person’s mood, stimulate social interaction, and ease agitation. You could see from residents’ reactions just how engaged and fascinated they were by the chance to get so close to such a variety of wonderful creatures."

Scarlet House is a state-of-the-art care home and provides full-time residential, nursing, dementia care, as well as short-term respite care. The care home, which features 86 ensuite bedrooms, has been designed to enable its residents to live active and fulfilled lives, while also promoting independence. The care home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities, and includes its own cinema, hair salon and café.

To find out more about Scarlet House, email Customer Relations Manager, Katerina Pippi, at katerina.pippi@careuk.com or call 0333 321 0932.

For more general information, visit careuk.com/scarlet-house.