Hens making nursing home residents healthier and happier

Aged attention resident Marie Morris says she would be very lonely if she didn't wealthy person the hens to look after at her breast feeding family.

Master of Science Morris is a occupier at Whiddon Kelso, where four Chinese Silky hens live and are cared for by residents, and are incorporated into creative and community activities.

The hen-keeping program – HenPower – was featured along SBS's 'Perceptiveness' program last night, where Ms Morris explained the grandness of the hens to her.

"I grew up with animals – chickens, ducks, ferrets, dogs, magpies. You mention IT, we had it," she said.

"When I pat the chickens, it feels same home, and brings back a lot of memories," she told Insight.

Ms Morris looks after the hens from morning to night, and admitted she worries about foxes. "As long as I can see them, they're alright," she same.

Hens make over great pets

Karn Nelson, Executive Universal Manager Strategy and Innovation, Whiddon, told HelloCare chickens take great pets.

Image: supplied.

"They are relatively easy to jell up in the garden of the care domestic and to feeling after. Residents bathroom engage and interact with them happening some level thus they act upon well in a community," she said.

Merely HenPower is much just chook guardianship, Ms Nelson same.

"It involves original activities, and provides residents in the care home with good opportunities to make new friends and make up deeper bonds. It can really transform their go through of the care dwelling environment and improve their character of spirit and overall wellness."

"The program sees residents nurturing hens and participating in societal and creative activities based around hen guardianship."

Hens are a cracking conversation starter!

"The chickens leave a capital opportunity for residents to get in touch with each other through HenPower inspired arts and crafts activities and through with sharing memories of keeping chickens – they're a outstanding conversation starter," Ms Viscount Nelson said.

"Some residents enjoy caring for the chickens, others love spending time stroking the chickens, which has a very calming effect.

"For others, the chickens have helped them form extra bonds with younger generations, like for Marie and her great grandchildren World Health Organization bond over the chickens – it's the eldest thing they chat all but when they visit," Ms Nelson aforementioned.

Helps to build community connections

HenPower creates opportunities for local communities – such every bit schools, kindergartens, volunteers and community of interests groups – to produce involved with the nursing homes.

Image supplied.

"Rearing close connections with the community and maintaining social interaction, interests and activities is absolutely essential to the wellbeing and wellness of elderly Australians," Disseminated multiple sclerosis Nelson said.

HenPower is a creative ageing program that was developed by UK charity, Equal Arts. Whiddon was the first aged care supplier to bring the program to Commonwealth of Australi.

"HenPower was successfully trialled in four of Whiddon's residential care homes across NSW and quickly showed health and well-being benefits from residents sounding after hens and participating in the imaginative ageing activities.

Ms Nelson said that residents' quality of lifespan improve significantly after the HenPower program was introduced.

"In feedback from semi-structured interviews, in that location were consistent themes as to why their quality of life had reinforced. These included residents' experiencing a sense of empowerment finished caring for the chooks and being able to undertake chores, the accrued social connection that the program brings, and improved physical and mental health from more incidental exercise," she aforementioned.

"We likewise careful the effect on depression victimisation the Cornell. Here we saw depressive symptoms quash significantly, especially for those residents with dementia.

"This was supported in the soft feedback where residents talked about the assuasive effect of stroking the chooks, and how interacting with the chooks successful them tone cheerful and forget all their worries."

Trial had superior benefits for those living with dementedness

"One of the gripping things we saw from the trial was that we saw that the benefits were more significant for those residents with dementia," Ms Nelson told HelloCare.

"My conjecture here is that people with dementedness rapidly fall behind self confidence in social situations, and the great thing about HenPower is that IT makes it real easy for them to bond with others.

"The regularity is likewise very helpful as most of the residents involved in the program meet every day, morning and afternoon to admire the chooks together.

"Also, many citizenry with dementia take up much organise of natural depression or anxiety, and the therapeutic effects of stroke an animal or chook are in particular beneficial."

Due to the success of the trial, Whiddon has implemented HenPower in a numerate of its aged care services in regional, rural and remote NSW.

Main images: Marie Esther Morris, on Insight.

https://hellocare.com.au/hens-making-nursing-home-residents-healthier-happier/

Source: https://hellocare.com.au/hens-making-nursing-home-residents-healthier-happier/

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