Beerwah aged care enjoy a little horse time
By Bolton Clarke
BEERWAH aged care residents have had the rural life brought to their doorstep, spending some time with a local pet therapy miniature horse, Halo.
Residents have enjoyed not only saying hello to Halo around the home but also learning a little about their small but mighty visitor.
Glasshouse Views Lifestyle Coordinator Michelle Gibson says pet therapy is a wonderful opportunity for residents to interact with animals that may be familiar or new.
“We have visits every few months from different animals – we have had rabbits, goats, baby lambs, chickens and most recently the miniature horses,” Michelle said.
“For the whole visit residents will be smiling from ear-to-ear and particularly because of our location there are several who have come from farms or used to ride, so that sparks a lot of conversation within the home.
“Animals just bring out the best in everyone and bring so much joy – everybody just loves to sit, have a pat and maybe a chat with the pet therapy visitors.
“One of our residents has photos around her room of horses so you can imagine how ecstatic she was to spend some time with Halo – her face just lit up when they came in!”
Research shows apart from being lots of fun, spending time with pet therapy animals has emotional and physical benefits for residents, improving wellbeing and connection.