Carrots visits Beech Hall Care Home in Armley

Today is National Love Your Pet Day and Carrots has been helping residents and staff at Anchor – Beech Hall Care Home in Armley. The care home is beautiful and looks after over 60 residents with varying degrees of Dementia. Carrots enjoyed his visit as much as the residents who met him.

There are so many benefits of pet therapy for the older community, including:

• Improved communication
• Improved ability to reminisce
• Many older people who are unresponsive to other forms of therapy tend to feel livelier and chat more with and about their pets
• Animals can help seniors improve their motor skills though touch.

Pet therapy is by no means a new concept. The benefits of the human-cat bond has been documented for centuries, yet the relationship between a patient and a therapy cat seems to extend way beyond simple companionship. There are also emotional, physical, and mental benefits.

Emotionally, cats can provide the elderly with companionship, as well as:

• Increased self-esteem since the aging find that they can care for a pet and the animal enjoys spending time with them
• A sense of gentleness and caring since animals are known to be instinctive nurturers, especially to ailing humans.
• Increased social interaction with other pet owners and patients
• Pet therapy for depression and decreased anxiety works by the patient forming a bond with a pet
• Reduced loneliness by spending time with and caring for a pet

The Physical Benefits of Pet Therapy include:

• Lowered blood pressure and a reduction in depression, stress, and anxiety from the non-judgmental and gentle nature of the relationship
• Pet therapy also provides several incredible benefits to patients, such as:
  Mental stimulation through contact with the volunteers and by comparing the therapy pets to other pets provoking memories, experiences and thoughts.
• Increased mobility from petting, and brushing the cat.

You can follow Beech Hall Care home on Twitter: @BeechHallLeeds