Tag Archives: family
Campaign for baby bereavement suite at Yeovil hospital
19 August 2012 Last updated at 11:55
A group of Somerset parents and midwives is hoping to raise enough money to build a baby bereavement suite at Yeovil District Hospital.
The Snowdrop Group wants to raise £20,000 to build the facility to help people who have lost a baby.
Family and friends’ needs when you Care for someone
Being a carer can put pressure on your relationships with your partner, children, extended family or friends.
You may feel like you’re constantly juggling your time and trying to keep other people happy. Time off from caring can help to redress the balance.
Your partner
Your caring responsibilities can put pressure on all your relationships but especially that of you and your partner. If you care for someone who perhaps has complex needs, you may find that you don’t get to spend valuable time together. You could discuss these feelings with a social worker who should inform you of a carer’s assessment, which will look at your need to nurture your relationships, and may be able to offer you respite care if appropriate.
Pet therapy brings the joy of animals to care homes
Pets As Therapy is a national charity providing therapeutic animal visits to care homes
Britain is considered a nation of animal lovers, so why should this be any different if we have to move into a care home? A dog’s silly antics and wagging tail or a cat purring on one’s lap can raise a smile, or relax anyone, regardless of age. So some UK care homes now offer residents the opportunity to interact with far more unusual animals than household pets!
Lulu the donkey is one of the more unusual visitors to Sunnymeade Residential Home
Pets As Therapy is a national charity providing therapeutic animal visits to care homes, as well as hospitals and hospices. Volunteers bring in their friendly, temperament tested, vaccinated dogs and cats and visit over 6 million beds a year, showing how much joy the pets bring and how much they are needed and valued in the care home industry.
Pets As Therapy has conducted a number of research studies into the benefits that pets bring to residents in a care home environment. Sarah Dyke’s study, Every Man’s Best Friend: Impact of pet therapy and previous dog ownership on enhancing well-being in elderly residents, followed on from previous research that demonstrated that Pets As Therapy (PAT) dogs can have a positive effect on mood in elderly residents in care homes and day centres.
Sarah wanted to find out if previous dog ownership predicted an increase in wellbeing following PAT dog visits. Her findings suggest that the benefits to the resident from the PAT dog visit are irrespective of previous dog ownership. Sarah believes: “That would explain why Pets As Therapy continues to grow in terms of numbers of volunteers, dogs and establishments involved in this type of therapy and the residents they visit.”
