This week saw the beginning of a new documentary on the ABC that looked at the effect pre-schoolers have on the mood of residents of an aged care facility.
Billed as an Australian-first experiment, the documentary hopes to get older folk to re-engage with the world they’ve become isolated from, to reignite their sense of play and fun, from pretending to sip tea from an empty cup to moving their bodies by simply taking a walk in the garden.
The idea, which originated in the US with a similar documentary running in the UK two years ago, works as you see eyes light up and barriers come down.
It’s not unusual to hear that residents in aged care facilities often experience depression and feelings of isolation with 40% of the residents in the documentary saying they receive no visitors and 50% felt depressed.
Other aged care facilities around the country use a variety of methods to try and bring joy to their residents’ everyday lives.
One Queensland home has taken ‘animal therapy’ to the extreme; 850kg of extreme in the guise of Guv, a Clydesdale-cross-Percheron horse.
The Bolton Clarke facility in Townsville, QLD has been using animal therapy for several years with amazing results.
Diversional therapist, Chezz Thompson says,“Guv is a big horse, I didn’t expect him to be so big. I was expecting pony-sized, but the residents love him and book in advance to get their cuddles and pats with him.”
It seems that there’s something about the innocence of children and the unconditional love of animals like Guv, that gives tremendous joy to the elderly.
Ms Thompson says, “There’s some kind of mental connection especially with dementia patients who don’t look up normally. Guv brings their eyes up.”
There’s been a growing demand in Australia for pet-friendly aged care accommodation and a recent University of Australia study confirmed the health benefits of allowing aged care residents to bring their pets along with them.
W.C Fields once said, “Never work with children or pets because they steal the limelight,” but when it comes to older Australians bring it on!
