Paws for connection at Balwyn Evergreen this Take Your Dog to Work Day
- 1 hour ago
- 2 min read
Balwyn Evergreen Centre is marking Take Your Dog to Work Day (June 26) with a gentle twist, as staff bring their dogs in to spend time with clients in the Supported Lifestyle Program.
The program supports people living at home with some cognitive decline or mild dementia, offering a warm, community-based day filled with movement, conversation, lunch, games and connection.
For clients in the SLP, the visit is designed to create an easy, familiar point of engagement. Dogs can spark conversation, invite touch, encourage smiles and help people connect through memories of pets they have loved, walked, cared for or grown up with.
In a dementia-friendly setting, those simple moments can help clients feel more relaxed, recognised and involved in the day.
Research around pet engagement and dementia suggests animals can support mood, engagement, interaction, comfort and reminiscence, although the evidence is mixed for outcomes such as agitation and quality of life.
For Balwyn Evergreen Centre, the value is in offering a calm, supervised and client-led experience that adds warmth to the day without overstating the role animals can play.
“Many of our clients have beautiful memories connected to pets, so bringing our dogs into Balwyn Evergreen Centre gives them another way to connect, share stories and enjoy the moment,” Tina Hogarth-Clarke, CEO, Balwyn Evergreen Centre, said.
“The Supported Lifestyle Program is built around people feeling safe, included and engaged, and sometimes a wagging tail can open up a conversation in the most natural way.”
To find out more about our programs and services, please get in touch.
