Our residents provide joy and companionship to our pet therapy duo
Oliver and his French Bulldog Sunny's regular vsits to Brooklands bring comfort, laughter and companionship to residents. What began as a way to brighten others’ days has become a heartwarming friendship that lifts everyone’s spirits, including Oliver’s.
Our residents have had an unexpected impact on our pet therapy pair, Costessey businessman Oliver, 46, and his pet therapy dog, French Bulldog Sunny.
They started visiting us here at Brooklands Care Home two years ago to bring comfort and companionship to our 64 residents. But it turns out the weekly visits have had just as much impact for him!
“I run an online retail business with my wife and working from home can be quite isolating,” Oliver said. “We don’t have a team and I don’t see a huge number of people. I applied to join Pets as Therapy as I wanted to do something with my dog and I thought she could bring some joy to the residents. But I’ve found that’s exactly what they do for me!
“While the residents pet Sunny and enjoy her company, I get to chat with them. We talk about the area, their lives and they have lots of lovely memories to share about holidays they’ve been on. Myself and my wife love to do trips away and I find myself getting home on a Friday afternoon feeling very inspired – not only about places to go but also to live life to the fullest.”
Here at Brooklands Care Home we offer high quality residential, nursing and specialist dementia care. Our residents benefit hugely from Oliver and Sunny’s pet therapy visits.
Our resident Wendy, 86, looks forward to seeing them every Friday “I love fussing over Sunny, she makes me smile,” she said. “She must find us all very tiring as she falls asleep on my carpet!”
About the visits, our resident Mary, 91, said, “I used to have a cat and I miss her, but I like seeing Sunny. It makes us happy to know how much Oliver enjoys coming to see us too.”
Pet therapy is widely recognised for its benefits to older people, especially those living with dementia. According to Dementia UK, spending time with animals can reduce stress, increase social interaction, and bring comfort by rekindling fond memories of pets from the past.
Our lifestyle coordinator Laure, said: “Our residents are always so happy to see Sunny, and the team are too! We all love her visits, we even have dog biscuits in reception ready for her. She’s so sweet and Oliver brings a real calming energy and influence – they are a fabulous team.
“It’s beautiful to see the connection our residents have with Sunny and they beam as soon as they see her appear in their room. They engage really well and enjoy stroking her and talking to her and Oliver. Lots of our residents used to have a pet and miss them so the visits are really meaningful to them.”
Our home manager at Brooklands, Julie Robinson, said: “Sunny and Oliver have become a very big part of our Brooklands family. Their visits mean so much to everyone – you can see the happiness in our residents’ faces and hear it in the laughter and conversations that follow. It’s a wonderful reminder of how powerful companionship can be.”
Sunny had to go through training and assessments to be passed as a Pets As Therapy dog and she too looks forward to the weekly visits, meeting residents in their rooms where they can enjoy her calm nature and the sensory element of stroking her soft fur.
“When we get in the car on a Friday she knows exactly where she is going and she loves it,” said Oliver. “The team and residents at Brooklands are such a nice friendly bunch and the residents tell me that the visits make their week. It reminds me what a difference Sunny’s visits can make to someone and actually, they make our week too! What started out as me wanting to meet more people has led to something truly wonderful.”