K9 Therapy Day with Resthaven Riverland Community Services

Resthaven Riverland Community Services welcomed two special little guests earlier this month for the first of what is hoped to be monthly K9 Therapy Days.

Held in the activity room at Resthaven’s new Berri location at 7 Wilson Street, Berri, the group were joined by Noble K9 for a ‘pilot session’ to provide clients with an opportunity to experience interactions with therapy dogs.

Jodi Smith, Coordinator of Community Services says, "Due to COVID, we could only have a small group of four people for this session - but it turned out that a smaller group proved to be best, as our clients could have a close personal interaction with the dogs."

Accompanied by one of Noble K9’s dog handler’s, Gemma, the clients had the pleasure of meeting Max, a Border Collie cross Koolie, and Cassia, a Kelpie.

While Max and Cassia are both therapy dogs, they each have special qualities. Max is specially trained to help people with anxiety, while Cassia specialises in searching for missing persons, and has worked with people who have disabilities.

"To help the clients feel more at ease, we enjoyed morning tea at ten o’clock, before meeting the dogs. By ten-thirty, Gemma arrived with Max and Cassia, and we saw the magic happen almost instantly!"

Some clients especially benefited from their interaction with the dogs; those who no longer have a pet in their home and rarely leave their residence.

"Evelyn made a very special connection with Max. She just sat quietly with Max, patting him for about twenty-minutes, and you could just see her relax with every pat – it was incredible to witness!"

"Cassia was particularly amazing with Barry. He was so relaxed with Cassia that she fell asleep on his lap!"

With the success of the session, Resthaven Riverland Community Services plan to include K9 Therapy Day a regular part of the program each month – with the idea of keeping to a small group of four to six, even when COVID-19 restrictions ease.

Clients can book in their session twelve months in advance through the activities program.

Resthaven Riverland Community Services supports older people and their carers throughout the Riverland to maintain their independence living at home.

Celebrating 85 years in 2020, Resthaven Incorporated is a not for profit, South Australian aged care community service associated with the Uniting Church. Resthaven’s residential and in-home care and support options are offered throughout metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, Murraylands, Riverland, Barossa, Fleurieu Peninsula and the Limestone Coast.