Creepy Crawlies and Creatures Visit Gateshead Care Home Residents

Gateshead’s Craigielea Care Home had some unusual guests when Discovery Zoo brought some of its creepy crawlies and creatures to visit residents.

The home played host to a range of animals and insects including rabbits, snakes and lizards as part of the home’s ever evolving activities programme. Residents learned all about the creatures before having a chance to hold the mixed menagerie.

Guided interaction between animals and people has been proven to cause an automatic relaxation response, relieve symptoms of dementia and prevent feelings of isolation and loneliness.

Lindsay Turner, activities coordinator at Craigielea, said: “Our residents have really enjoyed their unusual visitors, especially the snake, tarantula and millipede. They’re not something you usually see up in Gateshead and for some of our residents it was the first time seeing them in real life.

“Discovery Zoo did a great job introducing the creatures to residents and explaining how to hold them. Animal visits are always such a lift for our residents and it’s great to see them so excited.

“Stroking and holding the animals always puts a smile on our residents faces. It sparks their memories and I hear all about their previous pets or trips to the zoo with their families.

“We’re always looking for activities to entertain our residents and really look forward to being able to do more now that restrictions are relaxed.”

Paul Fenwick from Discovery Zoo said: “We love visiting care homes and seeing how much joy it brings to residents. We have some unusual animals that get people really interested, as well as things like rabbits and gerbils that people may have had as pets themselves. They are great for reviving memories, although just sitting and stroking an animal can be very relaxing too.”