Pets As Therapy

weeze

Registered User
Oct 4, 2006
121
0
nottingham
Does anyone know how commom it is to find PAT(pets as therapy) going to visit homes?
My mum is a major animal lover and is the thing she will struggle with the most about being in a home. have already promise her I'll take her with me to walk my dog but just wondered if it is a coomon thing to see PAT out and about?
 

julieann15

Registered User
Jun 13, 2008
2,012
0
Leicestershire
Hi
The care home I have ear-marked for MIL when time is right does have a visiting retired greyhound which goes down well with most of the residents.

Love Julie xx
 

ella24

Registered User
Nov 9, 2008
1,024
0
South Coast UK
Hiya

My gran's home positively encourage it, and several of the residents families take in dogs (well behaved and on leads) - I took in my cat (who is a soppy thing but with a lot of character anyway) and they loved it. I rang first and even took him into a bed-bound lady so she could stroke him (was very rewarding)...

The other residents ask me when I am taking in my cat again (probably tomorrow!)

Have you tried asking PAT http://www.petsastherapy.org/

I did look into getting my cat registered as a PAT cat - but he wont wear a harness which is a requirement for them, but the home are happy with me popping in informally - I usually call them first in case there are any problems

e
 

Lisa M 99

Registered User
Feb 12, 2009
247
0
Winchester
yes my mum's home has a dog, a cat and a budgie that belong to the residents. I'm not sure how common it is but having pets around makes the place feel like home and the residents love it! I enjoy it too! :D
 

Brucie

Registered User
Jan 31, 2004
12,413
0
near London
Jan's home has a cat from the local area that just walks in and out at will.

It also has a set of resident chickens.

The residents are all, sadly, unable to respond as they are all too far down the dementia road.

Occasionally the home has a travelling farm that comes and we have lambs strolling around the residents.

Whether that helps them at all is a matter for conjecture, but it is good to see the home trying.

I should stress that Jan's home is a specialist one for those other homes can't handle, advanced dementia cases. So other homes may well be a much better place for the pets to go.
 

geum123

Registered User
May 20, 2009
4,604
0
Hello,
The care home where my dad is has Pat a pet.
Two dogs and owner visit weekly.
While my dad doesn't remember his relatives, he does remember the dogs, and his eyes light up.
My cousin sends cards from Australia with pictures of dogs, which he also relates to.
One little lady who cuddles a teddy, but whom I have never heard speak, shrieked bow wow when I showed her the picture.
I think it is very therapeutic.
 

Mameeskye

Registered User
Aug 9, 2007
1,669
0
60
NZ
My dog used to come to Mum's NH with me and wander around. She was allowed off her lead when she was in in the evening and would go and have a chat with the residents and staff. I was also occasionally asked if a staff member could take her into a residents bedroom for some of the more frail and she would go with them.

She is a very gentle JR, but the home Manager also had a couple of dogs who were with her a few days a week and my Mum would also sit in her office and "dog sit" for her!

Mum loved dogs and people with the dogs coming into the home soon knew which residents would enjoy seeing the dogs, so even if no therapets there may well be a lot of animal input.

Mameeskye

PS Mum's home was chosen as the manager said that if Mum was fit enough she could have her dog to live with her if she could walk it outside once well...unfortunately that never happened but the thought was there.
 

tarda

Registered User
Jun 10, 2007
5
0
W. Sussex
my terrier, Matty, is a PAT dog but she doesn't work. I'm not allowed to take her into school with me - the head doesn't like little dogs - and the homes around here want a regular visit and I can only do school holidays.

It does take a very special dog for EMI homes though. Matty has become frightened of Mum as her dementia has advanced so I now only take her round to her house for brief visits. It's very sad.
 

foxhound

Registered User
Jun 26, 2008
187
0
PAT is a great thing but, like so much else, is spread pretty thin. I think it might not be that easy to find a CH which has regular PAT visits. But perhaps an even more valuable indicator of whether a home would be right would be whether they encourage unofficial animal visitors - relatives dogs, breeze-in cats, even a making a real effort to feed wild birds so that they visit - all these suggest a place which would be in tune with yr mothers love of creatures.

On a light note - a great friend signed her dog up as a PAT dog - only problem was, it was the boniest and most dour critter you have ever seen. If you assume (a big assumption, but I do) a sort of "sixth" way of communicating with animals, one can just imagine the sort of messages it was giving "Aye, we're both doomed, just look at me - only skin and bones, aye doomed, doomed!" It really was a case of Cpl Fraser as a canine!
 

Kayla

Registered User
May 14, 2006
621
0
Kent
We used to take our two Golden Retrievers into my Mum's Nursing Home, but I did need somebody to go with me, so that we just had one dog each to look after. Mum loved to see the dogs and so did the other residents, but the only problem was that some of the carers and nursing staff from overseas were really terrified of dogs, especially big dogs. If I was on my own, I'd just take one dog with me to visit and they were really good, once they'd settled down in Mum's room.

Later on, Mum became less responsive towards the dogs which they found very confusing. Mum had some teddy bears and a soft toy dog, which she seemed to find very comforting. The Matron of the Nursing Home encouraged visitors with dogs, but I don't think some of the staff were very keen, which is a shame because Mum and her friends benefitted a great deal from stroking pets.

The PAT charity have very strict guidelines about animals which can be used, so it limits the numbers available. I did think of volunteering at one time, but my dogs would probably not be considered suitable.

Kayla
 

weeze

Registered User
Oct 4, 2006
121
0
nottingham
thanks for all your replies, have (fingers crossed!) found a place in a home for mum now so will try and speak to them soon about pets coming to visit
 

librarygirl

Registered User
May 7, 2009
54
0
wolverhampton
Greyhound visiting

I have a lovely retired geyhound who always comes with me to visit Mum in the home. Most of the residents and staff love her. She is quite happy coming with me, and uaually ends up fast asleep on the floor. Even those who are quite far gone seem to relate to her sometimes. I love her dearly, and Mum of course.
 

vdg

Registered User
Aug 6, 2009
264
0
Hampshire
My dog[who sadly died in June] was a PAT dog.We visited the local hospital where the patients were nearly all elderly in rehab care awaiting either a care package so they could go home or a place in a home.They loved to see Honey:)

My Mum has just gone into a home where there is a resident cat and the owner of the home visits regularly and takes her dog in.The carers soon realised that my Mum responds well to animals so when the dog visits they ensure she gets a chance to see her and they often let her have the cat on her lap for cuddles.
My Mum was in a flat before where they couldn't have pets so this aspect of being a CH is a bonus for her:)
 

DIL

Registered User
May 30, 2009
93
0
I was pleasantly surprised when viewing some care homes recently, that all of them encouraged pets with visitors. One had a resident dog, and the one we finally decided on has a budgie (which my MIL thinks is hers!) So do ask, it is a lot more common that I expected and it seems quite a few people bring dogs especially when visiting and are happy for all the residents to have a fuss if they want to.
 

librarygirl

Registered User
May 7, 2009
54
0
wolverhampton
I always take my retired greyhound Molly in to see Mum, and most of the other residents love her too - even those with advanced conditions seem to realise what she is, and will fuss her.
She is lovely.
 

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