Minden's Kids and Horses program to host workshop for those living with dementia and their caretakers
Kids and Horses Therapeutic Riding Center, located at 2869 Esaw St. in Minden is hosting a series of workshops by Connected Horse, a research-based program designed to support people diagnosed in the early stages of dementia and their care partners.
The fall workshops run for two consecutive Saturdays.
The first two-day workshop is Saturday, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8, and the second two-day workshop is Saturday, Oct. 15 and Oct. 22.
Workshops run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Registration for both workshops is now being accepted.
Studies at Stanford University and the University of California – Davis measured the horse-to-human relationship between people with early-stage dementia and an equestrian partner.
The results were both supportive and positive. Connected Horse developed those findings into a series of workshops that build upon the human-to-horse relationships, resulting in significant improvement in mood, increased positive perception of social support, and greater awareness and appreciation of the relationship between the person with dementia and their care partner.
A participant in our June workshop stated that she was impressed with the Connected Horse workshop.
“We feel blessed and lucky to have the experience you provided,” she said.
As space is limited, Connected Horse and Kids & Horses are encouraging interested partners to register early. Initial onsite orientation and paperwork must be scheduled before the start of the session.
No horse experience is necessary as supervised participants engage with the horses from the ground. The only restriction is that participants must be ambulatory and willing to participate with their care partner for both workshop days.
The Connected Horse® workshops are free for both the participant with dementia and their care partner. However, donations are gratefully accepted.
For more information and to register, please call Judy Vared at (925) 708-0067.