Mr Xie Yao Quan, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC where the programme has also been rolled out, said there is “a lot of evidence” to show the positive effects of animal-assisted interventions.
“There are seniors who are living alone, seniors who are socially isolated. But there are also seniors who are just looking to live the best of their lives as a senior … so I think programmes like this cater to various needs among our seniors,” he added.
STUDY ON ANIMAL-ASSISTED INTERVENTION
The equine programme was launched in partnership with Temasek Foundation, NTUC Health, NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
It is also part of a study on the impact of interaction with horses, and how such animal-assisted interventions can potentially be integrated into a larger eldercare system.
“It’s a bit luxurious right, to have horses interacting with people? So we try to understand whether this is good value for money,” said Associate Professor Luo Nan from the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, who is leading the research team along with Associate Professor Mythily Subramaniam from IMH.
“We try to measure both the improvements in well-being, as well as the costs needed for running the programme, and then put these two things together and figure out whether this is cost-effective,” he added.
According to Equal, horses are ideal for seniors as they can be slow and gentle. Their calm demeanour can also help ease those saddled with worry or anxiety.
Miniature horses, usually measuring around 100cm in height, are easier to transport, compared with their full-sized counterparts. They can also fit in the lifts of the nursing homes.
The charity has professionals on hand to ensure the horses are not stressed by their work.
“We have vets who come in very frequently to check on our horses. We also have equine trainers who have daily activities with them, so they have social time – we have work-life balance, so do they,” said Equal’s head of programmes and services Ann Hui Peng.
“When they are not at work, they will also have time to mingle with one another.”
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