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Our Pets As Therapy Programs
Welcome to our program and to the marvelous rewards and personal
satisfaction gained from a professionally structured pet therapy
program.
What are the Benefits?
Who are our Programs aimed at?
Who are our volunteers?
What do the visiting pet teams offer?
Want to hold a 'rat racing' competition at your facility?
How much does our Program cost?
What does the service fee contribute towards?
We are delighted to inform you about our Pets as Therapy Program
which provides a trained, Accredited volunteer and pet to visit
the people in nursing homes, retirement villages, aged care or health
care facilities, with the prime purpose of bringing fun, joy, physical,
social and mental stimulation.
Velma decided to work in Pet Therapy after experiencing first hand
its significant benefits. Velma recovered from a long-term illness,
which involved being immobile for 4 years, with the help of her
beloved pet poodle, Honey.
"Honey's constant love and affection not only kept me company
during those lonely years in bed, she also kept me sane. I don't
know how I would have survived without her", Velma explains.
When Velma recovered, she worked with the Delta Society on the
Pets as Visitors Program and the Residential Pets Program before
starting up these Pet Therapy Programs.
Velma and Honey Christmas 2000
This program was founded in April 1999 due to an increasing number
of health care facilities requiring visiting pets and not enough
specifically, 'purpose trained' and professional human and pet volunteers
to service those facilities.
Our volunteers often express how personally rewarding and satisfying
it is to share their pets affection, and to bring smiles to faces
and joy into hearts - pets have a habit of doing that to people.
For notices, announcements and photos of our pet and people volunteers,
and the latest news see news.
"Want to keep updated?"
Join our mailing list and receive the latest newsletters, notices
and announcements on the benefit of pets.
Send us an e-mail and in the subject write:
"Please include me in your mailing list"
What are the Benefits?
Recent research has overwhelmingly shown that regular contact with
a friendly pet gives physical, psychological, physiological and
emotional benefits and generally raises morale.
For more details about the statistical benefits, click here for The Statistics on The Benefits Of Pets.
Who are our Programs aimed at?
Our programs are designed especially for health care and aged care
facilities, where people are living without the love, companionship,
closeness, friendship, entertainment, benefits and sheer enjoyment
which pets so freely have to offer.
Who are our volunteers?
They are trained over a period
of months to confidently approach and interact with people experiencing
all kinds of life challenges. The pets are assessed by a veterinarian and a professional dog trainer for
healthiness, temperament, personality and friendliness.
What do the visiting pet teams
offer?
The team (usually one person and one pet) offers 3 main programs.
- To walk through the facility
interacting with all including residents and staff. The purpose
- to encourage and promote laughter, fun, social interaction and
mental stimulation.
- To attend a designated area (therapy room, lounge or outside area) where pet-loving residents
may gather. The purpose - to develop a rapport between the regular
residents and the pet, and to encourage and promote laughter,
fun, social interaction and mental stimulation.
- To initially meet with the health care officer, to select individual
residents and plan a specific therapy
program per individual. The purpose - can include limb
movement and manipulation e.g. the individual is encouraged to
hold a brush and brush the pet, walk the dog on a lead - walking
or in a wheel chair, hold a small ball and throw the ball for
the dog to fetch etc; and promote laughter, fun, social interaction,
mental stimulation, develop a rapport between the pet and the
individual.
- A combination of all of
these.
St Ives Village July Pet Expo
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"Rat Racing!"
We have offered a few rat racing fun competitions
at residential health care facilities, on this day, we held one
at a shopping centre.
We were invited to the Pet Expo to discuss our pets
as therapy program and give a demonstration of our successful and
well loved "Rat Racing!" pets as therapy show. The crowds
couldn't believe their eyes to see the rats racing against each
other. The rat that exited the tarp first, was the winner. The racing
rats were Misty Blue, Lulu and Flair Dare and Miss Flair Dare was
the winner on the day. Congratulations and extra seed rations for
Flair!
Are these cute... or what?
Firstly, we introduce the rats.
Then the rats are shown to the spectators.
The rats are placed in the balls and onto the
centre of the tarp.
Lulu is in the orange ball and Misty in the green.
They're off! And the spectators are cheering
on the rat they believe will win!
Lulu exited the tarp first to win this race.
Misty decided to take
this time to clean herself!
Lulu then was raced against Flair Dare.
Susan, showing the crowd how clever little Fang
is at tricks.
If you have friendly rats and would like to race them
against the Velma's Pets As Therapy Racing Rats, contact us to arrange
a competition.
How much does our Program cost?
The program is self-funding. Therefore, we ask for a service fee
of $45.00 + GST visit per visit, or when 5 visits are paid in advance
@ $200.00 + GST, we offer a discount, making visits $40.00 per visit.
What does the service fee contribute
towards?
As this is a self-funding program, income contributes towards all
running costs of the program including the on-going training of
our people and pet visitors; a contribution towards our accredited
pets health care and expenses; the occasional purchase of pets from
pounds that we can train for our programs. In the future, we plan
to sponsor a residential pet program and a retirement home for pets
- this is for pets whose owners have to go into a health care facility,
either permanently or on a long-term basis. We also welcome new
sponsors.
To find out more, please
contact:
Velma Violet Harris
Phone: (02) 9418 4343
E-mail: velma@velmaspetsastherapy.com.au
Velma with cute little Eve the visiting bunny
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