July 6, 2023

Animal Therapy for Our Residents

We recently welcomed a horse, four goats and a few chicks into our community for the day. This is the second year that Legacy HealthCare Services, our contracted therapy company, has brought animals to visit our residents.

Animal therapy is known to have amazing benefits for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients, including helping treat anxiety and depression. While we have a live-in therapy dog, Chumley, we believe that it is important for our residents to have new and different experiences. Laura Benefiel, our executive director, said, “Just seeing them [the residents] smile and enjoy petting the animals was special. Some of them reminisced about when they had a farm and took care of the animals. It just made them feel good.”

For more information on types of animal therapy and benefits for dementia patients, check out this article from Verywell Health.