New purr-fect team member gets Aberdeen care home residents feline good

A care home in Aberdeen has officially welcomed a new team member – and she’s set to be a paw-some hit with residents and colleagues alike.  

Skye, a four-month-old Ragdoll kitten, has joined the team at Care UK’s Tor Na Dee, on North Deeside Road. She will oversee ‘feline relations’ at the home and be on hand for residents to fuss, play with, or simply spend time with on a weekly-basis. 

 

The home created the part-time role after being inspired by the positive impact animal visits have had on care home residents’ wellbeing and on hearing how much residents missed these due to restrictions caused by the pandemic. 

Skye, whose owner Heather Palmer is a Lifestyle Coordinator at the care home, is an affectionate cat that loves cuddling up to residents – in exchange for treats and lots of fuss. She also likes to sit in on new team member interviews to ensure that that they will love the residents as much as she does. 

Team members have been amazed to see the incredible impact Skye has had on residents already, including seeing one resident, who lives with advanced dementia, smile when Skye stroked his cheek. Another resident, Irene, now has a photo of her and Skye beside her bed, and many have commented how nice it has been to hold a kitten, as therapy pets that visit the home are often dogs.   

Maureen Barrett, Home Manager at Tor Na Dee, said: “Residents love having animals to visit the home, and were delighted to find out they had a new kitten to play with."

“The human-animal bond can be incredibly powerful in promoting positive wellbeing, and introducing cats into care homes has proven to have many benefits, including lifting people’s mood and increasing social interaction. For older people, particularly those living with dementia, four-legged friends can help to bring back fond memories of time spent with their own pets in younger years."

Tor Na Dee provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care. Designed to enable residents to live enjoyable and fulfilling lives, the care home has its very own cinema room and hairdressers, and there is plenty of space both indoors and out for relaxation and recreation.

For more information on Tor Na Dee, please call Home Manager, Maureen Barrett on 0122 404 2731, or email Maureen.barrett@careuk.com.

For more general information, please go to careuk.com/Tor-Na-Dee.