Chilterns Court celebrated National Farm Day with a visit from Basildon Farm petting zoo, where residents enjoyed meeting, feeding and grooming animals, creating joyful, meaningful moments and lasting smiles for all.
On Tuesday, we were delighted to welcome a petting zoo from Basildon Farm to Chilterns Court Care Centre in Henley-on-Thames, creating a truly special and heart warming day for residents and colleagues. The visit formed part of celebrations for National Farm Day on 10 April and brought a wonderful opportunity for close, meaningful interaction with a variety of gentle animals. Residents were also able to take part in feeding and grooming the animals, making the experience even more engaging and hands-on. It was a truly memorable day that left lasting smiles on the faces of both residents and staff.
Residents enjoyed meeting a wide variety of animals throughout the visit, including three 4-week-old lambs, a mother rabbit with her five 5-week-old babies, five 6-week-old ducklings, several fluffy chicks, three runner ducks and four fluffy chickens. There was also great excitement around “Cheese and Onion” the mountain goats, Mabel the 18-year-old donkey, and Peggy, a 24-year-old Shetland pony, who was very popular with residents throughout the day.
One particularly touching moment came when resident Barbara was absolutely smitten with one of the five-week-old rabbits, Pompom. The pair were happily snuggled together for around an hour, much to the delight of everyone around them.
Catherine Shore, Activities Coordinator who joined Chilterns Court last week, said: “It was certainly very hard to say goodbye to the animals but we all had so much fun and enjoyed learning about them all, bottle feeding the baby lambs was particularly special.”
Animal-assisted activities continue to have a hugely positive impact for residents, particularly those living with dementia, helping to reduce anxiety and feelings of loneliness, encouraging communication and social interaction, and supporting reminiscence and positive memory recall. They also promote relaxation and provide valuable sensory stimulation, while often sparking memories of past pets or rural life, creating moments of comfort and connection.
The visit from Basildon Farm was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and created a warm, uplifting atmosphere throughout the home. Chilterns Court would like to thank the team for bringing such a joyful experience to residents and colleagues alike.