We're here to help - find out how we are supporting you during the coronavirus pandemic
Click here for COVID-19 information
Find local branch
Looking for care?
Open Mon - Fri: 8am - 7pm
and Sat & Sun: 9am - 6pm
What is live-in care?
Who is live-in care for?
Cost of live-in care
Visiting care
Condition-led care
Support for younger people
Overnight care
What is visiting care?
Find care in your area
Costs of visiting care
Errands and shopping
Neurological care
Clinical intervention
Catheter, bowel and stoma care
CHC commissioning
Meet our nursing team
Why choose Helping Hands?
Our carers
View all Job Vacancies
Live-in carer jobs
Carer assessment process
Office vacancies
03300376958	Existing customers
Our Experts are here to help, give us a
call. Our team is available from:
Mon - Fri: 8am - 7pm Sat & Sun: 9am - 5:30pm
CQC & CIW Regulated
Fast response & immediate start
Locally managed service
Alpaca Therapy: Lawrie's Story
Posted on 24th March 2020.
Lawrie started to receive support from the Helping Hands Shrewsbury and Telford Team in 2019 following a sepsis infection. After a number of weeks in hospital, Lawrie was able to return home, but the sepsis had left long-lasting effects on his overall wellbeing and he was unable to care for himself. However, when they were introduced to their main carer, Sarah, Lawrie and his wife Gill found a new therapy that was able to make their lives just that little bit brighter…
"In 2010, Lawrie had an abscess in his brain," Gill explains, "but he had so much aspirin in his body that they couldn't operate. By the time they could, his brain wasn't the way it was, so we got a new Lawrie. Later, he contracted sepsis, which sadly he has never fully recovered from."
For Lawrie, the most important thing was to be able to live together with Gill in the home they had shared for so many years. So, a support plan was put in place with our care team in Shrewsbury and Telford, and Lawrie and Gill were introduced to their main carer, Sarah. Whilst Sarah provided the usual high-quality care and support, there was something else that she had that made an even bigger impact on Lawrie and Gill…
"I started to have alpacas around three years ago," Sarah explains, "and I absolutely love them. You could sit and watch them for hours because they're so therapeutic. I have nine in total, but only five of them are therapeutic alpacas and can be taken out for the day, so these are the ones that Gill and Lawrie see most often."
Gill says: "I used to take Lawrie up to the field where the alpacas live and sit by the gate so Lawrie could see them. There wasn't a lot that he could do, so it gave us something nice to enjoy together. When we went up to see them, they'd get nosey and come to see us. I'm always giving Sarah my old potato peelings as a treat for them."
But when Lawrie was too poorly to go out, Gill and Sarah had another idea to try and cheer him up…
"Lawrie had been in bed for seven weeks without being able to get out," Gill explains. "He couldn't walk and he had suddenly got so ill. Sarah and I wanted to do something to cheer him up, and we'd always talked about the alpacas, so we decided to surprise him and bring a couple into the house to see him."
Sarah says: "I had them in my trailer because I'd taken them out to see the team in the office, and on my way home I stopped by at Gill and Lawrie's and knocked on the window to surprise Lawrie. I've brought them over a few times now and they absolutely love it. Lawrie even talks to them! They make a noise called 'humming' which is how they communicate with each other, and Lawrie hums back at them!"
Now, thanks to Sarah and Gill's support, and the extraordinary visitors that he so frequently finds in the conservatory, Lawrie is able to find therapy in a completely different way, in the shape of four very affectionate alpacas.
"When I found out that Helping Hands covers our area, it was such a huge relief. And then we got Sarah and it was the biggest bonus of all! We couldn't live without her. Lawrie loves her to bits. I love her to bits. We have a house full of alpacas. Life isn't so miserable and frightening. My load is lessened. It really is fantastic." – Gill
« Your essential coronavirus shopping list
Talking to your loved one about coronavirus »
Written by...
Lauren Knowles
Content Writer at Helping Hands Homecare
Lauren Knowles joined the Helping Hands team in April 2019. Lauren has a Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Journalism and has created a catalogue of print and online copy for the events and exhibitions industry.
Read Lauren's full profile
Latest posts by Lauren Knowles (see all)
Understanding the connection between physical and mental health - 5 January 2021
Tips on making your home dementia friendly - 5 January 2021
Families putting off conversations about care - 1 December 2020
Carer-assisted holidays
Support for younger adults
Working at Helping Hands
Helping Hands Home Care > News and blog > Blog > Customer Stories > Alpaca Therapy: Lawrie's Story
We treat our carers like family. Because they are, after all, looking after yours.
10 Tything Road West
B49 6EP
© Helping Hands Home Care, a division of Midshires Care Limited 2005 to 2021. All rights reserved.
Registered office: Head Office 10 Tything Road West Alcester Warwickshire B49 6EP
Registered in England and Wales no. 3959933.
Helping Hands Home Care is registered and therefore licensed to provide services by the Care Quality Commission (ID: 1-101671690) and the Care Inspectorate Wales (certificate number: W15/00000831/O001/0001). For more information visit www.cqc.org.uk and www.careinspectorate.wales
* All calls to 0843 numbers will cost you 7p per minute plus your phone company's access charge.
All calls are recorded for training purposes.
We use Cookies to deliver the best online experience and to improve the site. Find out more.