By Jesse Gill

‘It makes people really happy’: Ducks and chicks brings smiles to seniors in Medicine Hat

Apr 26, 2024 | 9:35 AM

Seniors at 10 different retirement homes in Medicine Hat have been able to watch chicks and ducks hatch at their facilities over the last week and are now able to hold them.

When Joyce Stuber started visiting retirement homes with pets about six years ago, she realized the joy that it brought the residents.

As a director at the Dunmore Equestrian Society, she was able to secure a grant through the federal governments New Horizon for Seniors program three years ago.

It’s funds she knew could be put to good use.

“The farm people, it brings back memories,” Stuber said.

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“It gives them something to talk about and I’ve got so many cute little stories of farmers seniors telling me. Oh, we used to do this. We used to do that,” she added.

“I actually source some of them out for some of my information.”

Wanda Dyck, a resident at Masterpiece, grew up around the farm and said she loves being around the ducks and chicks.

“I’ve been helping look after them. I come out and check them in the middle of the night twice, just to make sure everything’s okay,” Dyck said.

“I’m like a nanny to the ducks and chicks. I love it,” she added.

“My grandparents had a farm and I was always out in the barn with everything.”

Dyck said most residents at the facility have seen the chick and ducks.

“The people, where you don’t see smiles and stuff, you see smiles with them, because they’re holding it, and they don’t see people around them. They just see that little animal and they’re looking at it and holding it and just petting,” Dyck said.

“It makes people really happy here, and it’s good for them to have them here because, you know, it helps their health and everything.”

Volunteer Terry Noble has noticed the seniors enjoyment while they watched the chicks and ducks hatch.

“They were sitting there for hours just watching and talking about what’s happening,” Noble said.

“I couldn’t believe they were sitting there just watching, they just were glued to the incubator, watching these ducks being hatched,” he added.

“Just seeing the excitement of the seniors at these homes, and what it brings to them. That is just a perfect combo, what’s happening right now.”

Stuber said she has seen a positive impact on more than the residents.

“Staff might be not so cohesive and then when this program comes, they’re all talking about the the ducks and chicks, it brings them together,” Stuber said.

“It also does something that I didn’t understand that would happen, the families come, the grandkids come way more than when you don’t have something cute and fuzzy like this.”

Stuber said she has 12 incubators at the 10 different senior homes in Medicine Hat.

“I do source out some of my eggs. I went to a hutterite colony to get some duck eggs because you can’t find duck eggs in that quantity,” Stuber said.

“I think about 55 to 60 per cent of the eggs hatched.”

These ducks and chicks will be sticking around at Masterpiece for a little while yet.

The next project the residents are looking forward to is the butterflies that are developing in tiny containers over the next few weeks.