Pawsome visits for Evesham patients
Patients and staff at Evesham Community Hospital have recently welcomed Maisie, a therapy dog to help boost their health and wellbeing.
Evesham Community Hospital, which is home to the Worcestershire Stroke Rehabilitation Centre provides a range of specialist therapy and support for patients recovering from a major stroke.
Maisie, together with her owner Karen have started visiting the hospital each week, spending time on the wards chatting to the patients whilst they stroke Maisie and feed her treats.
Some of the patient’s family members at the hospital described Maisie as “a great companion, particularly if someone has a dog at home” and that Maisie’s presence is “good for everybody’s wellbeing”.
Maisie’s owner Karen said: “Quite often this is therapy for staff as 
much as it is for patients and when walking round you can see everyone loves her. This is my first placement, and I have a background in healthcare as a physiotherapist, so I really wanted to bring her to a rehabilitation or stroke unit. This hospital is brilliant and I’m hoping Maisie can not only bring a smile to the patients’ faces but also help them to get better”.
Therapy Dogs Nationwide is a national charity where visiting volunteers take their own dogs into establishments to provide comfort, distraction, and stimulation. All dogs are temperament assessed for the role they will fulfil.