Hutton Village residents enjoy animal therapy session with frogs and snakes

Residents at Hutton Village Bupa Care Home have recently been joined by an array of animals including a tree frog, corn snake and hamster as part of a series of animal therapy sessions.

The afternoon session was organised by Angie Lillywhite, Senior Activities Co-ordinator at Hutton Village and Zoolab, an organisation that provides ethical animal encounters.

Zoolab brought along some of their animal friends including Frank the hamster, Barbara the tree frog, Cornflake the corn snake, Turbo the snail and Cheese the millipede. Throughout the session, residents had the opportunity to hold the different animals whilst learning about them.

One resident, Edith Staplehurst, aged 88, commented: “It was fascinating to see all the different animals during the session. I held a snake for the first time which was quite an experience, I thought it would be quite slimy but it was lovely and soft.”

Another resident, Joan Bearman, aged 92, commented: “It was wonderful to see all the different animals, I had never seen a tree frog before so it was lovely to meet Barbara. My favourite was Frank the hamster. He was very small but incredibly gentle. He sat in my lap, and it was lovely. I’m looking forward to more visits from them soon.”

Angie Lillywhite, Senior Activities Co-ordinator at Hutton Village Bupa Care Home, commented: “It was lovely to have another visit from Zoolab, it’s so nice to have different animals in the home. It is always great to see the residents so engaged when learning about the different animals. Animal therapy sessions are well known to reduce stress and boost people’s wellbeing, and our team and residents didn’t stop smiling during the session.”

Staff and residents at Hutton Village are looking forward to more animal therapy sessions in the coming weeks and months.