Alpacas pay visit to local care home

Residents at Northlands House Bupa Care Home were recently visited by two special guests, a pair of alpacas.

Bruno and Len, affectionately named after the Strictly Come Dancing judges, visited the home accompanied by their handler, Wendy Williams, who runs Alpaca Adventure.

The residents took the opportunity to fuss over the alpaca pair, stroking and cuddling them as they wandered around the home, and visited residents in their rooms.

Alpaca Adventure is an award-winning service which provides animal therapy and recreational visits to residential homes. The team’s top priority is the welfare and safety of their alpacas. Their visit was a great success, with glowing feedback from the residents.

One resident, Tony Pilkington 92, said: “They were very good, and well behaved. The alpacas had such a nice, gentle temperament and were not phased by the attention at all.”

Another resident, Iris Davies, 95, added: “The alpacas were lovely, their visit made my day and it is something I will always remember.”

Home Manager at Northlands House, Natasha Randall, concluded: “We are always looking for new and exciting ways to engage with our residents and animals are something they all love. Animal visits lift residents’ moods and make them laugh.

“Wendy from Alpaca Adventure was fantastic, we couldn’t have asked for a better experience – Bruno and Len were very popular with our residents.”

Animal therapy has many benefits, it can provide comfort and companionship and reduce the feeling of loneliness. Spending time with animals can improve emotional wellbeing and reduce stress.

Northlands House Bupa Care Home is situated in Southampton and welcomes residents in need of nursing or residential care. For further information, please visit https://www.bupa.co.uk/care-services