The residents at Windmill Lodge welcomed two new residents to the home this week, Freddie and Poppy the interactive pets!
Time with animals is really beneficial to the people living there, as their interactions have calming effects and provide a range of benefits to a person’s cognitive and physical health. They help to reduce feelings of loneliness, improves a person’s mood and promote group engagement.
It’s not always possible to bring live animals into the care home though, so team members bought some interactive pets to spend time with the residents.
The interactive pets were introduced to the residents living in the Lavender and Bluebell suites at Windmill Lodge. The people there were very excited and spent time discussing names, before deciding on Freddie the dog and Poppy the cat.
They took turns to spend time with the animals, stroking and talking to them. They are made to be realistic, so they make sounds when people touch them and their chests move to mimic breathing. This provides gratification to the residents as it feels like they are taking care of a real pet. This helps with reminiscence too and can often help bring back memories of pets they have owned throughout their life.
As the residents sat and spent time with Freddy and Poppy, there was a calming feeling in the air and some special moments created.
Freddie and Poppy are now very popular at the home with many people wanting their company. Team members will continue to support this interaction and welcome real animals into to windmill Lodge, so the residents enjoy and benefit from time with them.