Our “Sunshine Canines” Programme is especially for seniors! This programme brings our Dogtors and their handlers to senior day care centres, facilities, or nursing homes. Many seniors experience feelings of isolation and loneliness, all of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic.
Research has shown that canine assisted interventions for seniors can help to reduce depressive symptoms, anxiety, loneliness, improve their moods and overall client/patient experience. These benefits extend to staff, nurses and caretakers within the facility, and in turn help to build better rapport with those they care for.
As seniors tend to be more fragile, the dogs selected for this programme will have a calm disposition with lower energy levels.
Free and easy sessions – Seniors will interact freely with our Dogtors and their handlers, for the purpose of general mood elevation and stress relief.
Structured sessions – We will work with you to develop a programme for seniors with specific outcomes and activities in mind e.g. physical rehabilitation.
Each sessions lasts 50 minutes.
Please reach out to us at woof@thedogtors.sg for more information on our pricing structure.
We comply with international guidelines on safeguarding the health of individuals in healthcare settings where animals are involved. In particular, we comply with guidelines from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), International Association of Human-Animal Interactions Organizations (IAHAIO) etc.
Our handlers are also equipped with knowledge and best practices in this area, and all seniors are required to wash their hands with soap and water, or use hand sanitiser, before and after each session.
It is also important to note that psychological wellbeing is critical for physical recovery, and that improvement in mood and wellbeing of seniors may outweigh the low risks associated with having dogs in healthcare facilities, especially with our risk management measures in place!
Generally, each session will take place in a common area of your facility, where our Dogtors and their handlers will interact with the seniors through activities such as petting, grooming, tricks, or other games. Handlers are trained on how to interact with seniors, and to create meaningful conversations and relationships with them over time. We have seen how our Dogtors have naturally helped to facilitate conversation and connection between individuals.
Each session lasts up to 50 minutes. This is so as to protect the welfare of our dogs involved in the programme.
Once we have received your request for a session, we will try our best to reply to you within 2 working days. We try to finalise the number of teams 2 weeks prior to the session.
Once we receive your request for a session, we will get in touch with you to discuss the details, such as the venue, number of participants and any other special requests. Please note that we are legally required to comply with the latest COVID-19 measures.
While we would appreciate at least 4 weeks notice, we will try our best to accommodate your requests.
The activities would take place in a common area of your facility, which may be indoors or outdoors. Our activities run on an opt in basis, and individuals allergic to dogs are not encouraged to participate in our programme. We have also had seniors who did not wish to interact directly with the dogs, but were happy to observe the dogs interacting with other individuals.
As a responsible animal-assisted service provider, we ensure that our well-trained and well-behaved Dogtors do not create messes in the workplace.
We establish clear guidelines and protocols for our visits, require all dogs to do their business just before the start of a session, and closely supervise the dogs during their visits and take them out for breaks when necessary. Our handlers are equipped to address any issues that may arise, and we prioritise maintaining a clean and professional environment during our visits.
Yes we do.
