Speaker Evening

Dementia Dogs were the topic at the Rotary Club of South Queensferry on Thursday 12th September. President Jim McCulloch welcomed speaker Fiona Corner who was joined by John and Anne Shepherd and their dog Hope. In a well-illustrated presentation, Fiona explained that the idea of using dogs to help people diagnosed with dementia was devised by four students at Glasgow School of Art. The trial project, run jointly by Alzheimer Scotland and the charity Dogs for Good, is one of only two in the world. The other is in Australia. It takes two-and-a-half years to train  dogs to help patients with everyday chores and to perform tasks like bringing a pouch with medicine which the patient might otherwise forget to take. The dogs also provide companionship and help dementia patients maintain social connections. Simply walking the dog can help patients interact with the local community through the interest people will show. The dogs can provide a focus for family and friends and motivate patients and their carers to keep up physical activity. Dementia Dogs is based at Castle Huntly open prison where inmates learn about dog training as part of their rehabilitation. Members then saw a video of Dementia Dogs living with families. They are only suitable where the patient has a carer or family member in the household and the house has a garden. Anne Shepherd was diagnosed with dementia four years ago and received their dog Hope last year. Her husband John said that their life had changed since Hope arrived. Anne's confidence had greatly increased. During the first months, the trainer made regular visits to check progress. Their daughters had also been trained to handle Hope, so now Anne was never alone and felt much less anxious. He could now enjoy golf without worrying.  In answer to questions from the floor, Fiona said that funding had been obtained to make the project financially secure. It cost £21,000 to train a dog, including lifetime care, but this had to be seen in the context of saving the cost of residential care which might otherwise be required.