Farm animals pay residents a visit

A group of guinea pigs, rabbits, lambs and goats dropped into a Melbourne facility last week.

Resident, George Chudleigh with a guinea pig.

Residents at Villa Maria’s aged care facility in Berwick got up close and personal with some cute and cuddly farm animals last week.

The animals from Myuna Farm, southeast of Melbourne, visited the facility for two hours to give 60 residents and 10 respite clients the chance to interact with them.

The visitors included a number of guinea pigs, rabbits, lambs, goats and even a turtle.

Carolyn Buckley, a lifestyle assistant at the home, said the residents were able to share in a range of activities with the farm animals.

“They were able to hold them, feed them and pat them,” she said. “They brought around a pre-arranged feeding mixture for the residents to feed them.

“They put it in a little cup and the residents were able to hold them. Some of it spilled over onto some the residents’ dresses and they even ate out of that.”

Ms Buckley added that the bulk of the residents and respite clients enjoyed the experience, which brought back memories

“I think it brings back a lot of memories for them, especially for those who were on a farm or who had chooks or ducks at home,” she said.

“On the other hand, some of them had never held chicks before and they were really happy to have that experience. There were lots of smiles, discussion and reminiscence.”

Tags: activities, aged-care, animals, lifestyle, villa-maria,

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