Alan Bicknell
Geoff is a 4 year old Golden Retriever. He is a large dog, weighing in at 40 kilos, but is incredibly gentle and calm. He has been volunteering for 2 years, regularly visiting Clacton Hospital’s Dementia Ward, Essex University, the Fire Service and delivering talks to numerous groups across North Essex.
I am a 72 year old human! I retired in 2020 and knew that I wanted to undertake some volunteering. I happened to see an article about ETD and realised I could combine a volunteering role with training and socialising Geoff.
After training as a teacher I spent 40 years working in the voluntary sector providing support to people with Learning Difficulties and Mental Health issues. I worked for Mencap twice, MIND, and later had specialist roles with the National Autistic Society. I finished my career as CEO of Autism Anglia.
Speaker Session Title: An introduction to Essex Therapy Dogs and the work we do
Essex Therapy Dogs are extremely busy providing dogs to Hospitals, Care Homes, Cafe’s and Day Services that support and care for people with dementia. This session will highlight the ways in which a visit from a Therapy Dog can make such a difference to a person wellbeing and provide specific examples of the positive outcomes we have experienced.
