A planned facility in the capital New Delhi is pairing some of the city’s thousands of abandoned cattle with residents in an effort to improve wellbeing, according to the ABC.
Cows are a sacred animal in India, but after they stop producing milk, they often end up in cow shelters known as ‘gaushala’.
The trial program will see the residents care for the cattle, which the Indian Government hopes will help to combat loneliness.
It’s not the first time animals have been used to tackle social isolation in aged care. At Carinity’s Cedarbrook facility on Queensland’s Gold Coast, residents live alongside a farm with both cows and horses.
With animals shown to reduce depression, fatigue and confusion – and increase social interaction – for residents, it sounds like a win-win to us.
