Residents meet a gentle giant
Residents of a West Lothian nursing home received a very different kind of visitor in the form of a massive Great Dane named Sheldon.
Staff and residents at Heatherfield Nursing Home in Armadale organised for retired pet actor Sheldon – best known for starring as Zeus on popular TV show Still Game – to pay a special visit to the home.
Sheldon’s visit was organised as part of the home’s pet therapy sessions, halted in 2020 to manage the impact of the pandemic’s restrictions.
Heatherfield residents treated their guest of honour to a warm cuddle and a treat, as sessions resumed for the first time in over two years.
Pet therapy is part of the home’s extensive activities programme, designed to make sure residents stay active and socialise with each other. Visits from gentle animal friends have helped residents, particularly those living with dementia or a disability, engage with life and activities in the home.
The programme recently saw the home buy Cammie and Woody, two guinea pigs, from a local pet shop. Both were named for the Cameron and Wood End communities within the home which specialise in caring for residents living with dementia.
Sheldon was a well-known dog actor whose star-studded career saw him appear on an episode of Still Game in 2016.
Jane Cooper, a dog lover from Livingston, adopted Sheldon after his retirement from show business.
When a vet discovered his tumour, Jane launched an appeal to pay for an emergency operation to stop him from losing his sight. He now brings joy to residents as a dear friend of Heatherfield Nursing Home.
Hazel McFie, Service Manager at Heatherfield, said: “We love seeing the joy on our residents’ faces when Sheldon or any one of our animal friends enters the room.
“We look forward to watching them pet and hug them – or reminisce about their own animals. You can always tell it means so much to them.
“It makes such a difference to wellbeing for staff members and residents, especially after the last two years and all the challenges we’ve faced. Pets are just one of the ways we can now boost morale or interact and socialise with each other again.
“We will always do anything we can do to make life that wee bit more special for our residents, so we look forward to hosting Sheldon and other pet friends again soon.”