Join Uncle Jimmy, a 76-year-old resident at a nursing home, as he takes part in the Haydays with Horses programme.
Over the course of the 10-week equine-assisted therapy programme, seniors at the NTUC Health Nursing Home in Jurong West interacted with horses through guided activities designed to support emotional well-being, encourage movement and spark connections with these majestic animals.
00:00Uncle Jimmy is quietly very enthusiastic so he's not like your typical loud
00:17student in the class always shouting the answer and participating but when you
00:21talk to him one-on-one more he has a lot of funny comments to share and stories
00:28to share and he warms up to people and to the horses quite easily it's very few
00:35very good to get near to the horse and see where they have a chance to ride the
00:39horse
00:43cannot like impossible because I stay with the constant for probably how to ride
00:47the horse
00:49okay so today we are going to be feeding our horses today okay we'll feed the mini horses and we will feed the big horses
00:59but before we feed them we also need to prepare the food for them
01:05okay so today put it all in your hands
01:07so this is a tamasic foundation equal paydays with horses program it's basically we conduct equine assisted learning programs for seniors with NTUC health
01:20active aging centers and nursing homes we do a few different types of programs
01:25that introduce the seniors to our horses and help expose them to different kind of activities to develop their emotional mental well-being
01:37trying to encourage independence in them
01:43so today they had to identify a horse to feed and they had to prepare food specially for their horse
01:52so they chopped up carrots and fruits so they have been with us over a few sessions already
01:58so some they can remember the horses that they worked with what they've done some of them might not be able to remember that as well
02:05so this is also just helping to drop their memory a bit and also give them something exciting to look forward to
02:12when they come and prepare food for the horses is something like giving them a way to show their appreciation to the horses and give them another way of building the connection with them
02:22we have to feed the horses
02:25we have to feed the horses
02:27we see the way they really really love to eat the food
02:30it gets so so strong that they put your food then almost fall down
02:35see they enjoy the food you are also happy
02:38but for handicapped people there's certain limit you can't do anything much
02:43if you are a normal person you can just feed them breaking out walk with him
02:50for many in the nursing homes they're also wheelchair bound
02:53there's more restriction we do try out want to try our best to cater and accommodate
02:59despite having more limitations they still have a different option from their everyday life
03:05the horses have a way of reaching out to the seniors and our other beneficiaries
03:32it's really like their own special kind of connection
03:35I could try talking with the senior and I might not be able to make them feel comfortable enough still
03:41but when you bring in a horse
03:43yeah they just have a way of helping seniors to be able to bring their guard down
03:47and ultimately I think that's also what really helps and that's what reaches out to the seniors
03:52and so the horses have a really really special way of bringing this connection out
03:57yeah I really think the best way to convince people is to be able to experience it for themselves
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