A Visit From The Farm
What do you get when you combine an assisted living community with children and farm animals?
At Grand Brook Memory Care of Grapevine we found that you get fun mixed with love, smiles and laughter.One thing that always seems to remain consistent in life is the enjoyment of watching children and animals interact. One of our goals at Grand Brook Memory Care is to create enjoyable moments and provide a source for laughter. After all, laughter is the soul’s way of jogging and we need to keep that soul in shape!
Bringing back memories…
Pet Therapy
Having animals around those living with dementia helped to bring back old memories. Tapping into that memory bank was evident as some of the residents that grew up on a farm were able to recollect and share their stories of early farm life. Sometimes all it takes is the right stimulation such as a familiar sight, sound, smell, taste or touch to tap into those memories.
Reducing Stress
Pet visits rather than sole ownership are often healthier for the animal and the person living with dementia. Animal visits eliminate the realization that the ability to care for a pet on a regular basis is no longer there. This doesn’t mean that someone with dementia cannot gain the benefits of animal companionship. They gain the benefits of having the animal for a while then send them back to the farm. If bringing animals to someone is going to make them smile and forget about their pain or stress that day then we figure out a way to do it.
Exercise
One of the other benefits to pets visiting the community was physical exercise for the residents. While the residents were petting and grooming the animals from a sitting position and walking from animal to animal, movement and focused activity was happening with a smile. So the next time you have an opportunity to take a group of people to the zoo or have the zoo come to them – go for it! Smiles and benefits are sure to show up from the pet therapy.
