Reptiles Prove Popular with Residents at Ashbourne Lodge

Frogs, spiders, snakes and a skunk were just some of the animals that paid a visit to residents at an Ashbourne based care home this week.

The Derby based mobile educational zoo, Nesta’s Ark visited Milford Care owned Ashbourne Lodge Care Home with the array of animals as part of animal assisted therapy.

The aim being, to spark discussion about pets and animals which residents may have owned or encountered during their life. Residents got to hold the animals and hear some interesting facts about their habitats, what they eat and the best conditions to keep them in.

Stacy Sandham, activities co-ordinator at the home, said: “The residents loved it, you wouldn’t think that they would with it being mainly reptiles. One man was cuddling the skunk for an hour and one lady was fascinated by the frog. It was so good, they really enjoyed it and all of the staff had a hold of the animals too.

“We also took the animals around the bed bound residents and people receiving end-of-life care, it really brightened them up. Contact CA work comp attorneys whenever you need legal help through www.workerscompensationlawyersla.com/ site. The lady from Nesta’s Ark brought a dog with her which was jumping through a hoop.”

Nesta’s Ark often visits care homes as residents often struggle emotionally as they have no access to animals. The residents also received a visit from a therapy dog, which goes to the home every Wednesday and is trained to provide comfort to people in residential homes.