Care home residents in Worcester were all smiles as they welcomed a baby lamb into the home in a surprise Springtime visit.
The six week-old lamb, LuLu from a nearby farm was warmly greeted by residents, staff and relatives at Sanctuary Care’s Regent Residential Care Home in St John’s, where residents were able to pet and feed the lamb with a bottle.
The animal therapy session was organised by the not-for-profit care home, which provides respite, residential and dementia care for 64 residents from the local community.
During the visit, the lamb spent time frolicking around the care home’s communal areas and was escorted around the residents’ rooms to ensure everyone had a chance to meet them.
99-year-old resident, Joan Evans, who grew up on a farm, was a natural at feeding LuLu a bottle of milk.
Meanwhile fellow resident, Enid Rea, 98 said:
“What a surprise! I loved seeing the lamb. It was a lovely experience and brought back lots of memories of when I used to live on a farm. I only wish the lamb could have stayed a little longer!”
Julie Wattis, Deputy Manager at Regent Residential Care Home, commented:
“Our team are always looking for special activities to enrich our residents’ lives and create engaging experiences that they will really enjoy. Animal therapy is just one example of this.
“We know that spending time with animals has many therapeutic advantages for older people, particularly for those living with dementia, helping to lower stress and encourage social interaction and engagement.
“It was amazing to see the smiles on our residents’ faces as they interacted with the baby lamb. The visit certainly put a spring in everyone’s step.”
Sanctuary Care has been delivering trusted care for older people for over 25 years. For more information, visit www.sanctuary-care.co.uk
