Skunk Pays a Visit to Care Home Residents

Care home residents around the country are often pleased to welcome visits from ponies or dogs but at Care UK’s Mill View home in East Grinstead, residents were lucky enough to have a visit from a real, live skunk. The skunk was one of a number of animals including a bearded dragon and a rabbit for residents to meet and enjoy an afternoon of animal therapy.

Residents were given a chance to feed and handle the animals, with the bearded dragon enjoying resting on residents’ hands, while the friendly skunk enjoyed cuddles with resident’s Norma and Gladys.

Everyone also enjoyed learning more about the different creatures, which were brought in by Our Amazing Animal World, including their personalities, favourite foods and how to look after them.

Rachel Woodward, Home Manager at Mill View, said: “The residents and team had a great time engaging with the animals. We’re continuously searching for new and exciting ways to provide residents with a new experiences. It was amazing to see residents’ faces light up as they interacted with the various animals.

“Animal companionship has been shown to have therapeutic advantages for older people, particularly those with dementia, as it helps lower anxiety and creates relaxing endorphins. The residents’ reactions really demonstrated how much they enjoyed interacting with the wonderful creatures.

“We look forward to welcoming more animals of all shapes and sizes in the future as they certainly bring a lot of joy and comfort to everyone here at Mill View.”

Three years, ago, a Care UK home team hit the headlines when it invited a pair of penguins which are normally found on film sets to come and meet a fan at a care home near London.