Pets help people (From The Oxford Times)

Pets help people

4:45pm Thursday 9th July 2009 in IMAGO / Intuition

Heathfield House Nursing Home, Bletchington, is a registered ‘pet friendly’ care home with the Cinnamon Trust. The Cinnamon Trust is the only national charity which seeks to relieve the anxieties, problems and sometimes injustices faced by elderly and terminally-ill people and their pets, thereby saving a great deal of human sadness and animal suffering.

From its foundation in 1984, The Cinnamon Trust has encouraged and helped care homes of all descriptions to welcome residents with pets.

At Heathfield House we believe that pets can positively benefit the wellbeing of elderly owners. A pet provides unquestioning, uncritical loyalty during a time that can be particularly stressful.

Pets provide a constant source of comfort and focus for attention, they help reduce stress by providing emotional security, and they help to provide a fixed routine. People who have pets benefit from the comfort of physical contact and the more subtle form of protection from loneliness.

Pets are welcome at Heathfield as we understand this special relationship and recognise the unconditional bond between an owner and their pet. We have large secure grounds which pets can have the freedom to roam in, and we are happy to help with their care and to keep an eye on them as and when required to do so.

A PAT dog (Pets As Therapy) visits the home each week, and the Registered Provider often has one if not two dogs in tow!

As well as dogs, we have cats, fish, chickens — and even occasionally pigs!

■ Heathfield House Nursing Home, Heathfield, Bicester Road, Bletchington, OX5 3DX Tel: 01869 350940