Rabbits, guinea pigs, hens and
ferrets are being used as an unlikely therapy in the battle against dementia
and loneliness.
Stepney City
Farm in East London is one of several organisations which has
started taking a menagerie of furry creatures to hospital in-patients and those
living in residential and nursing homes.
They hope that allowing pensioners to
cuddle and bond with the animals it will boost their mood, self-esteem and stop
them feeling so isolated.
As part of the Furry Tales project, the
farm also runs a social club for over 65s where older people can feed and care
for the animals.
Around 850,000 people in Britain
suffer from dementia and last year the Local Government Association said that
loneliness in over 65s should be treated as a major public health issue.
“We take small, furry and feathery
animals – including guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and ferrets, to meet
isolated older adults facing disadvantage,” said Merlin Strangeway, Furry Tales Outreach Lead at Stepney
City Farm.
“These creatures offer comfort physically and
emotionally, bringing about much conversation, reminiscence and laughter. We
are passionate about linking nature and laughter in later life.”
Charity Age UK has said that
loneliness ‘blights the lives’ of over a million older people in Britain.
Recent studies have shown that
socially isolated people have a 64 per cent increased chance of developing
clinical dementia and are 30 per cent more likely to suffer a stroke or heart
disease.
Loneliness has also been linked to a
compromised immune system, high blood pressure, and ultimately, premature death
and experts now believe it can be as damaging to health as smoking.
A similar project called HenPower, was dreamed up
by creative ageing charity Equal Arts to tackle social isolation, reduce
depression and improve people’s wellbeing.
Originally launched in the North East
in 2012, it has now been rolled out in 40 care homes across Britain.
Lesley Hobbs, manager
of Deerhurst Care Home in Bristol, said: “The hens come into the home and
you see residents light up.
“The sense of ownership and daily
jobs such as collecting eggs has given purposeful activity and increased
teamwork for everyone involved. It is simply a brilliant project.”
Ossie Cresswell, an 87-year-old
‘hensioner’ from Wood Green, sheltered-accommodation bungalows in Gateshead,
near Newcastle, who lost his wife in 2004, said: “Next to blindness loneliness
is the worst thing you can have, it is a big affliction.
“It can destroy a lot of people. I
know because I’ve been through it. At 87, hens are the biggest thing in our
lives.”
A study by the University of Northumbria found that the
male participants of HenPower all reported improved wellbeing, and reduced
depression and loneliness.
In one dementia care home it
found that since the hens had arrived violent incidents by residents were down
by 50 per cent, and the use of antipsychotic drugs was so reduced that they
were no longer issued routinely.
SOURCE: The Telegraph, Sarah Knapton
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