Residents at a care home in Paisley have been getting wise with wildlife thanks to an in-house visit from Scotland’s largest owl display team.
Bupa’s Braemount care home, on Donaldswood Road, welcomed Owl Magic into the home, giving the residents the chance to hold and touch the birds and learn about their new feathered friends.
Residents were encouraged to interact with the different breeds – from the smaller scopus owl to the much larger snowy owl – all of which have been highly trained to handle any situation.
Animal-assisted therapy has been shown to have significant benefits for care home residents, especially those with dementia, as physical contact with the animals is therapeutic, stimulates a social response and reduces stress.
Kate McConville, home manager at Bupa’s Braemount care home, is delighted with how well the session with the birds of prey was received. She says: “It was a really entertaining day for everyone involved and all the residents adored having the owls with us at the home.
“As well as being fun and interesting, animal therapy is also especially beneficial for our residents as it is relaxing and can also be a very social activity.
“Here at Braemount, we try to enrich the lives of our residents as much as possible and this was another example of how we aim to do that.”
The visit was such a hoot that the residents have requested the owls make a return visit, which will be organised in the coming months.
