Two North East care home groups are helping to provide furry friends for isolated people in their communities as well as for their own residents in seven regional care homes.
Solehawk and Popular Care are supporting Wag & Company to provide regular doggy visitors for their seven care homes in the region whilst at the same time helping to finance Wag & Company’s unique canine home visiting service for people in the community who live on their own.
Solehawk is a group of four care homes located in the North East of England providing residential, palliative, respite and dementia care and nursing services to residents since 1989.
Popular Care has three care homes in the North East at present and in addition to all the services provided by Solehawk care homes they also have additional experience in learning difficulties, and specialist illnesses such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
By becoming Community Friends of Wag, Solehawk and Popular Care are supporting Wag & Company’s work for the elderly in their communities whilst at the same time ensuring that all their care homes receive Wag visits. Everyone benefits, older dog lovers in the community as well as the dog loving residents in their care and nursing homes.
Steve Massey, Solehawk & Popular Care Operations Director, said: “We know the value of visits from dogs and other animals to our care homes so to support Wag & Company was an easy decision.
“Our residents will benefit greatly from the experience and to be able to share this with older people in our local communities who live alone is equally rewarding.
“I really can’t wait to start seeing the picture of the dogs at our homes, and the big smiles of our residents.”
Diane Morton, founder, and CEO of Wag & Company said: “We’re so grateful to both these care home groups for supporting our work and joining Wag as Community Friends.
“It’s wonderful to see organisations like theirs which see first-hand the unique impact of our services, helping to finance them. By recognising the importance of enabling a community benefit for older dog lovers in their own homes as well as making sure their own care home residents have access to a furry friend again, they are helping us to make a significant difference to people’s lives.
“We never charge anyone we visit for fear of people in need missing out, so our Friends of Wag supporters scheme enables individuals, companies and care establishments to chip in to help us provide these special friendships all across the North East, long into the future.”
For more details about Wag & Company and how to become a ‘Friend’ visit: www.wagandcompany.co.uk/friends
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Photo: Steve Massey on the right, Kate Hierons with FD Wedgie are the Visiting Wag Team at one of their care homes Kenton Hall
About Wag & Company:
Wag & Company is the only visiting dogs charity befriending older dog lovers in their own homes as well as in care or in hospitals.
With just an hour or two most weeks, our professionally assessed Visiting Wag Teams (volunteers and their special dogs) provide elderly people, often isolated and bereaved, with something to look forward to, some company, a chat, a cuppa and a cuddle with that much missed furry friend.
Diane Morton
Founding Director/ CEO
Solehawk is a group of four care homes located in the North East of England. It has been providing residential, palliative, respite and dementia care and nursing services to residents since 1989.
Popular Care is a care home provider established in 2006 with homes across the North East of England and Scotland. It operates four homes, caring for those in need of residential, nursing, respite and palliative care with additional experience in learning difficulties, and specialist illnesses such as Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Solehawk Care homes:
- Craigielea Nursing Home
- Ashton Court Care Home
- Kenton Manor
- Kenton Hall Nursing Home
Newcastle/Gateshead
Popular Care homes:
- Astune Rise Nursing Home (Eston)
- Peterlee Care Home
- Wilton House Nursing Home (Darlington)