We had a little fun with everyone this week, so let’s clear something up straight away.
No, they weren’t poodles.
Yes, we know they had that look about them, all that fluff, those soft curls, those faces that seem to be smiling at you. But the moment our visitors strolled through the doors at Park View, the truth came out: we’d been graced by a pair of gorgeous alpacas.
And honestly? The fluff had us all fooled for a good few seconds.
A proper afternoon
There’s something about an unexpected guest that brings a place to life, and these two did exactly that. Word spread quickly. Doors opened. People who’d been quietly getting on with their afternoon suddenly had somewhere to be.
What followed was the kind of afternoon that’s hard to put into words, though we’ll have a go anyway. There were cuddles. There were gentle strokes of impossibly soft coats. There was the occasional double-take as someone clocked that, no, this was not in fact a very large dog.
And there were giggles. Plenty of them.
The smiles said it all
We could write a lot here about the benefits of animal visits for older people, the calm, the connection, the spark of something different in the day. All of it’s true, and all of it matters.
But the honest version is simpler than that.
You only had to watch our residents’ faces to understand what the afternoon meant. The quiet conversations. The hands resting softly on a warm, woolly back. The smiles that crept up on people who weren’t expecting to smile quite so much on an ordinary weekday.
That’s the bit you can’t plan for. That’s the bit that makes these visits worth every second.
Until next time
A huge thank you to our wonderful alpacas (and the lovely people who brought them) for making the trip to Park View. You charmed every single person you met, fooled a good few of them, and left a building full of grins behind you.
We’re already wondering who, or what, might turn up next.
Watch this space. 🦙
At Park View, we believe the best moments aren’t always the planned ones. If you’d like to find out more about life here, we’d love to hear from you.
