Older people facing mental health challenges receive animal visits and drumming sessions at Franklyn Hospital

Recognising the importance of safe and effective animal therapy, the staff underwent specialised training to ensure the visits benefit both patients and animals.

Animal therapy offers numerous benefits, including promoting social interaction, providing emotional comfort, and reducing loneliness and anxiety. It also has physiological benefits, such as lowering heart rate and blood pressure. The drumming sessions provide a sense of achievement and gentle cardio exercise, while also alleviating pain, anxiety, stress, and depression, reducing blood pressure, and boosting the immune system.

By combining animal therapy and drumming, the hospital caters to the diverse interests and needs of its patients, from creating a sense of achievement to offering sensory stimulation. Both staff and patients have expressed positive feedback, appreciating the enriched therapeutic environment these activities provide.