Your Dog 202003

54 Your Dog March 2020

Elizabeth Perry

reveals how dogs are

helping dementia

suff erers to enjoy life

again through the

work of the Dementia

Dog Project.

a future

Forging

According to the World

Health Organisation,

around 50 million people

have dementia worldwide.

There are nearly 10 million

new cases every year.

DID YOU

KNOW?

D

ogs have been helping people for

many years but, surprisingly, their

potential for helping people with

dementia was only recognised relatively

recently when the Dementia Dog Project

was founded.

Back in the November 2016 issue of Your

Dog, we reported on the project’s progress

in placing assistance dogs in the homes of

families aff ected by dementia.

The project has now been expanded

so more people with this life-changing

illness can benefi t from dogs’ positive

therapeutic benefi ts.

GETTING STARTED

The Dementia Dog Project began in 2013

and is a joint enterprise between Alzheimer

Scotland and Dogs for Good. Peter Gorbing,

the CEO for Dogs for Good, explained how

the charity got involved.

“We work with a client group who are

going to get older and, by the law of

averages, some of them are going to get

dementia. We had already had discussions

internally at Dogs for Good about how

we needed to understand more about

dementia,” Peter ventured.

But, as Peter explained, Dementia Dogs

was a project with a diff erence. “Unlike

many grant-funded charity projects, it was

recognised from the beginning that this

would be a time of research to discover

what exactly was needed.

“It’s been a fantastic learning experience

Uno helps Henry with

day-to-day tasks.

Images: http://www.leadinglines.net