Lamby and Minty delight residents at Paisley Lodge Care Home!

Residents at Paisley Lodge Care Home in Leeds were recently surprised with a special visit from two charming little guests: Lamby and Minty, a pair of friendly lambs from local adventure farm, AlTreka. We joined the duo on their adventures around the home and found out why Paisley Lodge wanted to organise this baa-mazing* event for their residents!

Liz Garbutt, Activities Co-Ordinator at the Leeds care home, organised the event after a successful visit from Altreka’s friendly alpacas earlier this year. “We saw the positive impact the alpacas had on our residents, and as many of our people grew up on farms, we knew this would be something they loved.”

Robert, pictured below, grew up on a cattle farm in Wales and often spent time with sheep in neighbouring farms, so was over-the-moon to be reunited with one of his favourite animals. “Lamby and Minty remind me of when I used to visit my neighbours to help with their lambs. I really enjoyed being around animals again!”

When speaking about organising activities for people living with dementia, Liz told us how events relating to a person’s background is always a great choice. “We find that activities focusing on happy memories and replicating those – as best we can – significantly improves our residents wellbeing. We try to create these fun events for people from all walks of life, so our farmers and countryside lovers were more than happy to welcome Lamby and Minty into their home.”

Paisley Lodge Care Home, which is entirely dedicated to specialist dementia care, is committed to providing enriching and meaningful activities for residents, and the team prides itself on out-of-the-ordinary events. In the case of Lamby and Minty, their visit was well received by residents, staff and family members alike.

Lamby and Minty were gentle and affectionate, making their way around the lounge and even visiting residents in their rooms. One resident, Jo, particularly loved the surprise and commented on how well behaved the lambs were. “They gently trotted into my room and had a little sniff” said Jo. “I never thought I’d be stroking two adorable lambs on a random Wednesday afternoon, but that’s life at Paisley Lodge – I love it!”

Craig Chatburn, Home Manager of the Leeds dementia care home, said, “We’re always looking for ways to bring joy and stimulation to our residents’ lives. The lambs were a huge success and we can’t wait to welcome them back to our friendly home. Thank you to Liz, our Activity Co-Ordinator, for organising such a fun and immersive event for our wonderful residents.”

The team is already planning more interactive experiences and activities in the coming months — and it’s safe to say that Lamby and Minty will be warmly welcomed back anytime!

Rated ‘Good’ by CQC, Paisley Lodge Care Home in a dementia-specialist care home offering our innovative Reconnect dementia care. For more information, call Craig and the team on 0113 263 2488 or hit the button below.

*We’re sorry, we know this is a baa-ad pun  - we’ll work on it!