When Liz Sparks enters a room, it lights up with smiles, thanks largely to the menagerie of animals accompanying her. Source: The Southern Cross.
That’s the case when she hosts sessions as part of the Animal Wellbeing Program run by Centacare in South Australia.
On any given day, she is joined by Alfie the gentle Border Collie, Bear the Aussie Shepherd (Centacare’s wellbeing dog), joeys, guinea pigs, lizards, a lamb and a cheeky Chihuahua called Chachi.
The program, in its fourth year, provides wellbeing support aimed to improve engagement of people with complex needs in educational, disability or community-based settings.
Ms Sparks regularly visits about eight schools throughout the school term and facilitates sessions during the school holidays with different programs and organisations.
Interaction with animals is proven to help people manage stress, anxiety, depression, and feelings of loneliness and social isolation.
Centacare staff say wellbeing dog Bear has a knack of understanding a person’s needs.
“Bear is such a calming and fun-natured animal,” said Wellbeing Support Services manager Jessica Hickey.
“He has an incredible ability to respond in different ways to the many situations and people he comes into contact with. When Bear is with very young children and people with disabilities, he is calm and gentle but when with older students, he loves to play sports.
“Students who are unable to sit still or concentrate are seen sitting quietly, gently patting or feeding a joey. Students who display aggression and anger with the world, stay still and cautious while handling a stick insect.”
Alfie is a particularly well-natured match with babies and young people with a disability.
“He’s super sensitive,” Ms Sparks says. “I’ve never, never come across a dog quite like him.”
She is quick to add this is not a “petting’ zoo. Participants are provided with opportunities to safely interact with animals with a view that animals can contribute positively to a person’s behavioural, emotional, and verbal distress and assist them to build self-awareness and self-regulation skills.
FULL STORY
Mother nature’s creature comforts (By Katie Spain, The Southern Cross)
