Christmas is synonymous with sharing, enjoying with family and friends, surprises and different gifts. And so it was for the 78 residents of the Familia Quesada Sánchez center, in Tacoronte, who days ago received a visit from Norway, a pony from Tangoway Pet School, with whom they carried out activities and spent a special day.
The center is managed by the Gerón Foundation, which has always encouraged animal-assisted interventions. It all started in 2020, within the framework of a project that had the objectives of raising awareness among the elderly about responsible ownership and promoting their independence and autonomy when it comes to having a pet to keep them company. Two canaries and a nymph live in the center, there was also a turtle, relatives can bring their animals to visit, and since then they work with Isco, a Garafiano shepherd, and Lia, a Hungarian pointer, Ariana Smyk’s two dogs, the psychologist who started the project and who has since stayed at the residence and continues with activities with animals.
Beyond the objectives she proposes for the sessions, the users have a relationship with Isco and Lia apart from the one they have with her and many of them “have helped them open up a little,” says Ariana.
“There are people with moderate or severe cognitive impairment who need certain stimulation, they do not speak with certain people and thanks to the stimulation of the dogs they have managed to communicate, although not with an extensive conversation because there is already damage to the person. ” which is difficult to repair, explains the psychologist.
More and more groups are receiving this type of therapy since it has been shown that the interaction of older people who live in a residence with animals achieves important emotional and physical benefits. Greater responsibility, better mood, stimulation of the mind, improved mood, are some of them.
For this reason, at the Familia Quesada Sánchez center this year they wanted to take one more step in working with animals and since Ariana has training in horse therapy, she proposed that Norway come to the residence, an unexpected visit but at the same time an experience that has been very rewarding for everyone.
The professional explains that in assisted interventions, the activity itself is not so important but creating a bond between the animal and the elderly, so that they feel comfortable, especially in the first sessions. “In the end, a pony is an animal that they are not as used to seeing as a dog and first we had to see how they interact,” she points out.
The first step was to introduce them to Norway, they were invited to pet her and while they did so they were asked how they felt touching her, there were even those who were encouraged to give her a treat.
Once the ice was broken, the previously planned activities began. The first was brushing. It should be noted that for those who have mild cognitive impairment it is a way to continue creating bonds, to see how an animal moves that does not pay attention if you ask it to be still, and to feel the heat it gives off.
The second one that was carried out was cognitive stimulation with rings of four different colors: red, green, blue and yellow. Once they memorized them, the pony would disappear and when she returned she would do so without one of them so they could guess which color was missing. This dynamic not only seeks to stimulate them cognitively, but also to strengthen their attention and visual perception.
The idea is to continue with initiatives of this type, although it still needs to be studied and developed well given that it is not easy to mobilize this type of animals.
Arina Smyk confesses that the experience “was more enriching than expected” because “although I had already done horse-assisted therapies, it is not the same to work with residents that you know, you follow and evaluate daily and you grow fond of them. Seeing their shocked and happy faces was wonderful. They loved being with Norway, in the end they wanted to get closer, caress her, take photos, and in the end the activity took longer than expected but it was worth it.”
