Good Causes

Here’s how chickens are helping fight loneliness

HenPower wants to crack the problem of loneliness and the National Lottery funded project is using chickens to do it.

Karleen Taylor-Williams is a care home manager and she strongly believes in the power of hens. Karleen said, “Hens are excellent. We couldn’t do without them now. In the 69-bed nursing home that I manage, every resident can have challenging behaviour, and working with HenPower has helped to bring a sense of calm."

Explaining how hens make things better, Karleen said, “They are a brilliant visual and tactile distraction for the people who live here. The hens and the activities we now take part in just generally promote calmness.

“I’ve found it’s brought a focus for the staff, clients and relatives. We get everyone out in the garden all of the time now, because there’s a reason to be there. And we bring the hens in too for people to handle.”

Now with coronavirus creating challenges for everyone caring for the elderly and vulnerable, HenPower has come up with a virtual option. The project is using tools like Skype to provide sessions to care homes, even if the hens can’t actually be there.

And HenPower has another idea to help combat the loneliness felt by older people: HenPals!

The project is asking people to write letters about their lives to give care home residents a connection with the outside world. The details are on the project’s Facebook page and they’re “hencouraging” as many people as possible to get involved.

8th April 2020

The National Lottery has been changing the lives of winners and supporting good causes across the UK since 1994. In that time, there have been more than 7,000 new millionaires created and by playing The National Lottery you raise over £4 million for Good Causes every dayΔ.

Discover more
Please wait