TheraPaws Summer newsletter 2017

Issue 5 | Summer 2017

A new look for TheraPaws

Spotlight on St Vincent’s House care home

www.themayhew.org

Hello and welcome

to the summer edition of the quarterly TheraPaws newsletter. We’ve had a busy few months including launching our brand new look which you can read all about in this issue.

You can also catch up on our latest news, gain an insight into a TheraPaws Team and find out more about our visits to St Vincent’s House in West London.

We hope you enjoy this issue!

Front cover image of Biscuit by Rowan Williams rophotographs.com

Animal Assisted Interventions International

TheraPaws Project Manager, Luke, had a fantastic experience meeting other projects from around the world at the Animal Assisted Interventions International (AAII) conference in Vienna. Here, he learnt a lot about the different ways you can work with animals to improve people’s lives and setting international standards for animal therapy work.

AAII group photo in Vienna

Mental Health Awareness week

Luke Berman TheraPaws Project Manager

TheraPaws is a visiting animal therapy programme delivered by Mayhew. Our dedicated voluntary TheraPaws Teams take their assessed dogs into care homes, hospitals, hospices and day centres in London to engage with residents, provide companionship, build relationships and brighten up their day.

What’s new

During Mental Health Awareness week in May we visited the National Theatre to show people what an important role dogs can play in our lives and can help with mental health. TheraPaws Team Ilonka Scaman with her dog BenJecky, Helen Liu with her dog Java, Kelly Scarrott with her dog Winston and Peter Waldman with his dog Tobi spent time meeting National Theatre employees. An outstanding performance!

To find out more please get in touch with TheraPaws Project Manager, Luke Berman, on 020 8962 8004 or luke@mayhewanimalhome.org

Cuddles at the National Theatre

Alzheimer’s Show

TheraPaws was invited to the Alzheimer’s Show at London Olympia recently to showcase the work we do with people living with dementia. A lot of people wanted to meet our dogs and learn about the positive effect they have on the residents we visit. Luke, TheraPaws Project Manager, also gave two talks about the programme and of Mayhew’s work with animals and the community.

Marcel and Tobi taking over

3

The future is purple We have changed... but it’s still us!

Mayhew (previously The Mayhew Animal Home) has gone through a rebranding and so has our TheraPaws programme.

We believe this new look will get people’s attention and support, so that we can grow and continue doing the vital work that we do. TheraPaws is growing in reputation as well as reach and our new look will only add to that and show everyone that we are making a difference. Keep an eye out for the new TheraPaws shirts and dog jackets and let us know what you think!

TheraPaws started as an idea in 2008 when a Mayhew volunteer took their own dog to see their mum in a care home and saw what a fantastic response it got. She brought this idea back with her and for the next few years, volunteers took Mayhew animals out, for a couple of hours, to a local care home in order to provide a therapeutic service to older people and give the animals some respite out of the home. By the end of 2014 we were visiting 15 centres and doing around 300 visits a year. From 2015 onwards we concentrated on volunteers taking their own dogs (who we assess) into the same centre every week to develop a real relationship and provide a level of continuity that is really beneficial; especially to those living with dementia.

We now visit over 45 centres, with 47 TheraPaws Teams making over 1,100 visits and 16,500 engagements a year. We specialise in visits to older people and a high percentage of those are diagnosed with dementia. Our Teams go into care

4

www.themayhew.org/therapaws

Showing off our new logo!

Biscuit taking a rest in her new vest

homes, nursing homes, day centres, hospitals, hospices and also do outreach visits to dementia cafes and other such groups. During the visit, people have the chance to sit with the dog and stroke them, which causes natural conversation to flow and often brings out memories and emotions. We have seen very vocal residents become calmer during their time with the dog, people who normally stay in their rooms come out and residents remember the dog’s name; even when they forget the human’s.

Our new dog jackets are met with approval

Exciting times lie ahead as we look to expand across all of London into

We now visit over 45 centres, with 47 TheraPaws Teams making over 1,100 visits and 16,500 engagements a year. hospitals’ elderly wards and spend time visiting isolated people in their own homes.

TheraPaws is a very special programme and we want to thank all our fantastic volunteers for making it possible and so wonderful.

5

Spotlight on…

Meet a TheraPaws Team

Joanna Zygmunt, Lifestyle Lead at St Vincent’s House, tells us her thoughts on the TheraPaws programme and how it helps the care home’s residents.

Flick Thorley, Charles Frydman and Janice Lakey take Max, Wally and Lulu to St Luke’s Hospice to visit patients near end of life and people receiving ongoing treatment for incurable diseases.

St Vincent’s House care home, West London

Axl and Jet. It’s always nice to see the enjoyment from staff and residents when the TheraPaws Team is here.

It’s a really great programme and the impact of having the dogs at the home is amazing. Axl and Jet bring back lots of With the TheraPaws visits, it’s great to memories for our residents who begin to see the residents who wouldn’t usually open up more and share stories from their get involved in any of the home’s activities lives. Having Sarah and Di with them on a showing interest and interacting with Axl weekly basis is so wonderful as they are and Jet without any barriers. both lovely and chatty and are always smiling and ready to help.

Our staff have got to know Sarah and Di and both dogs well, in fact they always We really could not ask for a better stop to chat and have a few minutes with TheraPaws Team to visit our residents.

TheraPaws Team: Sarah and Di with Axl and Jet

Flick, Charles and Janice with Max, Wally and Lulu

What attracted you to TheraPaws?

F – I was donating dog beds to Mayhew’s reception when I was told about the programme and it sounded fantastic as animal therapy always interested me and this was local.

C – When I stopped working in the caring profession I missed the contact. I love animals, so when I heard about the programme I decided it was just right for me.

J – I started three years ago after BBC London shared a piece about TheraPaws on TV, and as an animal lover who can’t have a pet it’s perfect for me.

Do you remember your first visit?

F – I wasn’t sure what to expect and didn’t know how the dogs would react, but they were fantastic and each of them was brilliant in their own unique way.

C – It was an incredible experience and I knew right away that I would be doing this for a long time.

J – It was great to see the positive change in people straight away.

Our TheraPaws trio in action

leaving, we were told that the family was very grateful and that she is now eating which was incredible.

J – It was seeing a daughter smile as she was visiting her terminally ill mother and offering them both a moment of relief to just be with the dogs.

What are your thoughts on the programme?

F– I love TheraPaws as you can see the direct impact it has on the patients and the staff too.

What is your fondest memory so far? C – It is very positive to see the residents

Celebrating another fantastic visit

6

www.themayhew.org/therapaws

respond to the animals. I hope it F & C – We saw an elderly woman who was continues forever. poorly, with family all around. Lulu went on the bed and the lady woke up, stroked J – It is marvellous. I tell everybody about it and they think it is very worthwhile. her and started talking. As we were

7

Meet our new dogs

Java was born to be cuddled and has just started his visits to the Pembridge Palliative Care Centre in Ladbroke Grove where he spends time with people near the end of their lives.

“TheraPaws is a really great programme and the impact of having the dogs at the home is amazing.”

Joanna Zygmunt, Lifestyle Lead at St Vincent’s House

Nala was rescued in the USA and then decided to catch a flight to the UK to join TheraPaws and help people in need feel better. She will be starting at Whipps Cross hospital in Leytonstone on the elderly wards.

TheraPaws is entirely funded by the generous donations of our supporters. Each initial visit costs Mayhew £312. In 2016, TheraPaws made 1100 visits.

If you’d like to join our bighearted group of supporters or make a donation to any of Mayhew’s work, please visit www.themayhew.org/donate or call 020 8206 5870

info@mayhewanimalhome.org 020 8962 8000 Trenmar Gardens, Kensal Green, London, NW10 6BJ

Registered charity no. 1077588

www.themayhew.org/therapaws

www.themayhew.org