We all need a helping hand in our lives at times –  what if that was a helping paw instead?

The Dementia Dog Project is a collaboration between Alzheimer Scotland and Dogs for Good, which explores how trained dogs can help people to live well with dementia, bringing together leading dementia support services with the provision of specially trained assistance dogs.

 

Lenny and Hope – two very talented, hard-working and friendly Labradors - will soon be ready to place and are now looking for their 'fur'ever homes! Each assistance dog undergoes two years of dedicated training, learning skills to help reinforce routines at home, being a social connector out in the community and an emotional anchor for someone living with dementia and their carer.

They have learned to carry out an array of vital tasks for people living with dementia, from retrieving medication to helping wake someone up and get dressed.  They can open and close doors, and can prompt to alert and remind. Both are trained to walk gently on a harnessed dual lead, encouraging exercise and getting people out in their community.

Their training is completed with the help of inmates at the project’s operational base at HMP Castle Huntly open prison near Dundee, enabling men in custody to develop employability skills and build a non-criminal identity. This helps to reducing risks of future re-offending, while also making a significant contribution back into society through the provision of trained dementia assistance dogs.

If you:

  • are a person either recently diagnosed with (or in the early stages of) dementia,
  • are living with your full-time carer in Scotland,
  • have an enclosed garden, and
  • love dogs.

We would love to hear from you! Please contact the Dementia Dog Project team at [email protected] to request an Enquiry Form.

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