Nine years ago, I became a Certified Dementia Practitioner and have been helping families navigate the difficult journey of dementia. As a lifelong horseman, I have watched how equine assisted programming can positively impact individuals. My experiences in both of those arenas lead me to develop a program that marries two passions of mine.
It Takes a Herd is the dementia friendly equine assisted program that I created and implemented to support care partners and their care recipients with dementia. The program utilizes horses as a conduit and provides a safe, nonjudgemental environment where participants share an equine experience. Through their interaction with horses, care partners are given an opportunity to return to their original roles within the partnership and learn to strengthen the relationship through connection, camaraderie and community.
Both the care partner and care recipient participate in meaningful activities that promote purposeful engagement, encourage independence, build confidence, and foster empowerment. Care partners are encouraged to step outside of their role for a time and re-connect to their loved one without the burden of care. Throughout the program, care partners enjoy moments of respite and time to connect with other participants who understand the experience of caregiving. While participating in the program, care partners and care recipients find their “Herd” comprised of others in the program who encourage, support, and validate the feeling that they are not alone in their journey through dementia.
Each week, a different theme is presented to participants guiding them to develop better communication skills, while care partners are coached in techniques to minimize the frustrations of caregiving. While working with horses throughout the program, care partners gain a better understanding how to navigate the disease of dementia while strengthening their partnership in a fun and purposeful environment.