At Macc Care, we’re dedicated to providing comprehensive and compassionate care for each of our residents.
To enable us to do this, we ensure that we not only offer a safe, comfortable and supportive environment, but also go above and beyond in our activities schedule, to help keep our residents stimulated and improve their quality of life.
One such activity is animal-assisted therapy. In this blog, we’re exploring the numerous health and wellbeing benefits of interacting with furry friends:
Improved Physical Health
As we get older, our range of movement can start to decline, making it increasingly more difficult to stay active. At Macc Care, we encourage our residents to take part in plenty of physical activities to help combat this, and improve their strength, balance, and flexibility.
Animal-assisted therapy is a great way to incorporate exercise, as residents are more inclined to move when an animal is present. Whether it’s reaching out to stroke them, or walking to the garden to be with them, our residents often enjoy a more active day when we have furry visitors!
Reduced Feelings of Loneliness
Spending time with animals can help to reduce feelings of loneliness, as they offer wonderful companionship. Often a great source of comfort, petting, cuddling and interacting with pets can provide plenty of stimulation, helping seniors feel happier and more connected.
When we introduce animals to our residents here at Macc Care, it encourages them to interact with one another, too, sharing their thoughts and feelings about the furry creatures, and even discussing their pets from years gone by.
This social aspect of animal-assisted therapy helps our residents to forge stronger connections with one another, and offers inclusivity for all.
Lowered Stress Levels
Animal-assisted therapy can help to reduce stress and anxiety levels in seniors.
Simply petting or stroking an animal can have a calming effect — which can help to lower blood pressure and heart rate. Spending time with animals can also help to take the focus off of negative thoughts and worries, providing a much-needed distraction from everyday stresses.
Animal-assisted therapy can also help to improve Oxytocin levels, the hormone associated with positive emotions.
This has been found to have a calming effect on the body, reducing stress and anxiety levels, whilst regulating emotional responses and promoting social behaviours — such as trust, empathy, and positive communication.
Improved Cognitive Function
At Macc Care, we understand the importance of animal-assisted therapy for improving cognitive function.
Spending time with animals can help to stimulate memories, improve communication skills, and promote a sense of purpose and meaning. The Oxytocin we mentioned before can also help with the processing of bonding cues and memories, offering important interactions for those living with conditions such as dementia.
Having animals present is not only great for improving mental, physical and cognitive health, it’s also a fun, interactive and enjoyable activity — and one that our residents adore! In recent months, we’ve welcomed all kinds of creatures — from alpacas and skunks to snakes!
To find out more about our activities programmes and how we help improve our residents’ quality of life, please contact a member of our team.
Alternatively, why not read our previous blog to discover all that our care homes have to offer?
