Mini therapy horses bring joy to seniors at Five Towns

Aiden and Pearl, a charming duo of mini therapy horses, galloped into Five Towns Premier, sparking smiles and forging connections among seniors in need of a little joy.

Horse Ability, a non-profit organization, based on the SUNY Old Westbury campus, in Old Westbury, offers a program where mini therapy horses interact with seniors, promoting emotional, physical and social well being, according to HorseAbility.org.

Mini therapy horses, Aiden and Pearl, both 13-years old, stopped by Five Towns Premier, a nursing and rehabilitation center in Woodmere, on Sept. 18.

Joe Graves, home care consultant for Family First Home Companions, sponsored the special opportunity for the patients and residents.

“We’ve been trying to get Horse Ability into a few facilities and Cathy at Five Towns Premier were the first ones we thought of,” Graves said. “The goal of Horse Ability is to bring some smiles and some joy to the patients faces.”

Graves visits different nursing homes and rehab facilities and organizes opportunities for Horse Ability to meet patients and residents. This was the first Horse Ability visit with Family First Home Companions, kicking off their partnership, he said.

“We’re always looking to do some different marketing activities and pets and animals always seem to be a big hit,” Graves said. “We thought it was a perfect match to bring them into some facilities.”

During the visit to Five Towns Premier, Aiden and Pearl went to each of the five floors to spend time with all of the patients and residents. The horses trotted the common area of each floor and visited bed-ridden patients who didn’t want to miss out on the experience.

The facility reacted positively to the whole experience and even the staff was excited to see the horses, Cathy Byrne, supervisor and gerontologist at Five Towns Premier said.

“So much gratitude goes out to the generous support of Family First Home Companions for sponsoring this program,” Byrne said. “As a gerontologist, I was able to witness first hand the very positive and magical effect the horses had on the residents, families and staff.”

Family members were invited to come experience the therapy horses with their loved ones, who were patients or residents at the facility.

“The horses increased feelings of empowerment, sensory input and social connection,” Byrne added. “This interactive program promoted psychological and emotional well being.”

According to Byrne, connecting with horses is actually a therapy used with dementia patients, to help with communication, emotions, nervous system regulations and sensory input.

“Today was a huge success, it was nice to see the emotional element and the emotion of happiness from many residents,” Byrne said.

For more information on the Five Towns Premier Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, call (516) 374-9300 and for more about Horse Ability visit HorseAbility.org.