Cuddling with Alpacas at Arcare Parkinson Aged Care

“It was such a great morning; it was lovely to see so many residents come out to see the Zac and Val the alpacas,” resident Doreen said.

This all began when 91-year-old Doreen moved into Arcare Parkinson, and Alison promised to bring the alpacas in for a visit. Their first visit took place during COVID-19 lockdowns, so the residents could only enjoy the alpacas from afar. Now, the residents can say that they have cuddled and interacted with an alpaca up close.

“We are very happy that this could again for our residents; it’s not every day they can see, pet and feed alpacas, for most it was the first time ever being around them!” Lifestyle Coordinator Jodie said.

“It was so wonderful to see the biggest smiles on everyone’s faces and those smiles didn’t leave for the rest of the afternoon.” she added.

All the alpacas that live on Alison’s property have been rescued; they originally rescued four, and now, they have grown to ten alpacas and two lamas. Val was rescued at 10 weeks old.

Pet therapy provides a range of social, mental and emotional benefits to residents at our Arcare Parkinson community.

It was a fantastic experience for all the residents and our team members and we can be sure that Alison and her alpacas will be welcomed back to the community with open arms.

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(Please note: To ensure the health and safety of residents and team members, when an animal visits Arcare residences, all residents, team members, volunteers and visitors who have come into contact with the animal will be encouraged to perform proper hand hygiene either with soap and water or, an alcohol-based handrub.)