Puppy love

Volunteer Kyra Little and her gorgeous dog Pumpkin are favourite visitors at Oakfield Lodge Residential Care. 

They visit once a week, with Kyra visiting an extra day by herself to help residents take part in activities. 

Kyra began volunteering over a year ago after her grandparents passed away. 

“When they all passed on, it left a really big void not having that presence of the older generation because they provide a lot of knowledge and wisdom,” Kyra said.

“So I thought well why not try and volunteer here, you can give some company to people who maybe never had kids or family lives interstate or that sort of thing and they're lonely, and you can also benefit off them.

“One of the soft spots I have here is the memory support unit because, I mean it is a bit confronting at first and you need a little bit of training because each person has different behaviors, but it's just nice because you can distract them from whatever they’re feeling.”

After a few months Kyra brought along her Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Pumpkin who has a perfect temperament “like goldilocks in the middle”. 

“She is a rescue and had a bit of anxiety so I’ve found it has helped her confidence as well,” Kyra said. 

Kyra tries to visit as many people in their rooms as possible with Pumpkin because she knows it can be difficult for some residents to leave their rooms and participate in social activities. 

“For some people you know walking to the dining room is like running a marathon for them,” she explained. 

She plans to work in the lifestyle space because she loves her unpaid volunteering so much, and has lined up the tertiary education course she needs to progress her career. 

In the meantime, residents are pleased Kyra is continuing to bring Pumpkin around for cuddles each week.