Charity, Health & Lifestyle | Posted on May 1st, 2024 | return to news
Parkstone care home residents meet snakes and feathered friends
Residents of Alexandra House enjoyed meeting a range of reptiles, creepy crawlies, small mammals and feathered friends.
Many people are afraid of snakes, but not the residents of a Parkstone care home.
Care South’s Alexandra House on Alexandra Road, played host to a menagerie of animals – including a snake – brought in by The Creature Teachers, who run interactive one-to-one sessions with a range of reptiles, creepy crawlies, small mammals and feathered friends.
The star of the show was Jasper the milk snake who was carried around the room at a distance from the residents in one of the home’s communal lounges before they had the opportunity to hold him.
Pauline, a resident, said: “I loved him. He felt very smooth. It reminded me of holding one as a child.”
Anne said: “I wouldn’t normally want to hold a snake but he was lovely, so I just wanted to touch and hold him.”
Chico the ferret, Margot the Guinea pig and Phoenix the chuckwalla lizard also delighted the residents at Alexandra House, with the session being rounded off by Echo the barn owl who flew across the room to land on a resident’s gloved arm.
Animal therapy is believed to offer a host of benefits to older people including increasing self-esteem, boosting emotional wellbeing, lowering blood pressure, and increasing social interactions.
Georgina Powell, home manager at Alexandra House, said: “It was amazing to see the look of pride on the residents’ faces as many were choosing to face their fears as they opted to hold the snake and asked lots of questions about it. At Care South, we love organising different activities which suit the residents’ interests, and as many of the residents at Alexandra House are animal lovers, we knew that this would be a popular event.”
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