Six animals provide variety in a retirement home in Rudolstadt, Thuringia. Alpacas and llamas should bring joy to the residents – and encourage dementia, for example.
Rudolstadt – Those who are not informed could have doubts when the six animals run from the Red Mountain to the elevator.
In itself a completely normal Thursday in a senior citizens’ home in Rudolstadt. But instead of a bed, the nurses try to get half a dozen alpacas and llamas to the fourth floor.
The goal of the animals is the fourth floor. Today they are supposed to pay a visit to bedridden and demented patients in particular – and bring a bit of variety to the dreary everyday life. However, the llamas are uncomfortable with the elevator. “Then stay outside in the garden,” says Michelle Dinter.
Behind it breeds the fluffy animals. In addition to hikes for everyone and slightly different children’s birthdays, the trained specialist also offers animal-assisted therapy, as here.
While the alpacas look around curiously in the new environment, she explains: “Everything we do here is really a top performance for them.” Get into a car, wear a halter, step into action with people – “that are all things that have been trained for a really long time ”. Not every animal is equally suitable for this.
Animal Assisted Therapy
But the stallions she brought with her today don’t seem to be afraid of contact. As a matter of course, Hector, Hardes, Pepe and Oskar run through the corridors and look curiously into the rooms.
“Right now you’re looking into my room again,” says a man and laughs. “So, now you go out again, that’s mine,” he urges her jokingly. In room 3 the door stays closed. The animals are not welcome here. Ms. Stiehm in room 10, on the other hand, is in no hurry to get the fluffy troop out of their room. “You don’t get visitors like that every day.”
Animal-assisted therapy is not a novelty in the retirement home. Cats and rabbits have also been guests. “That was nice too. But that’s a different dimension now, ”says the head of the Rudolstadt Awo facility, Tobias Zeilinger. The demented residents in particular reacted well to the large animals that were mostly only known from television.
The use of the alpacas is also a particular success for the head of social care in the Awo care home, Antje Hedwig. Among other things, she also books hunting horn players or dance groups for the 152-strong establishment. But the residents were particularly open with the animals.
“People live on it for a long time,” says Hedwig. “When we say,” Watch out, the alpacas will be back soon “- Oh, there is really great enthusiasm.” That the animals can be petted and are nice and soft is particularly great. “This touching and touching and getting in touch is something else,” says Hedwig. The animal squad is supposed to come two to three times a year.
The trip to the rooms is only part of the visit. Most of the time the animals stroll in the garden and let the men and women stroke them. In return, even those who are otherwise less motivated come out of their rooms, pick daisies to feed, brush the animals, and have something told about the wool.
“That also pleases older people”
82-year-old Emmi Kreudzer knows the animals that otherwise live in the South American Andes from documentaries that she likes to watch. “That it is all so real when you touch it. It’s very different from just seeing them, ”she says. “This is not only a delight for children! Older people also enjoy that. “
According to Dinter, the more incidental movements bring momentum to the mostly restricted body. While feeding, grasping is practiced at the same time, and then getting out of the wheelchair for brushing, because it is particularly pleasant on the neck for the hairy fellow.
In addition to the physical effect, it should not be neglected that there is an opportunity here to swap roles for a short time. “So you can be the ones yourself who do something good for others,” says Dinter. dpa
