Maggs the Wonderdog to the rescue
She is proving to be a much loved and appreciated resident at Victoria’s Caladenia Dementia Care.
Maggs the Wonderdog, a six-year-old female golden retriever, has been an integral part at the dementia care centre for six years, where her interactions with individuals and groups have exceeded expectations.
Caladenia Dementia Care manager, Sarah Yeates, is Maggs’ owner, who will present the benefits of pet therapy at the Alzheimer’s National Conference in Brisbane next week (18 to 20 May).
Ms Yeates told DPS Publishing that she would present a poster illustrating the “multitude of benefits that introducing a day centre dog” has had, and the positive outcomes for staff, family carers and people living with dementia.
Staff at Caladenia Dementia Care have witnessed many benefits to having Maggs in their program. Some of these benefits include:
- Maggs can single out anxious or upset clients and give them extra love
- Maggs will often come and rest her head on a carer’s knee who may be upset, giving them something to focus on whilst they are talking or gathering themselves
- She offers a distraction to clients by allowing them to brush her or play games with her
- Maggs offers encouragement as she jumps into the bus and encourages people to come in if they are cautious or unwilling.
“I trained Maggs myself after her eight week stint at puppy school,” Ms Yeates said.
“She has been trained to let people first through doorways, not to run in the centre, not to jump on people, and not to get in the way of walkers and wheelchairs,” she said.
Maggs was named after Trish Maggs (OAM) who is Caladenia’s patron and founder.
