Meet the alpacas helping people living with dementia in the Borders
Video report by Jennifer Cordingley.
Alpacas are being used to help people living with dementia in the Scottish Borders.
As part of Dementia Awareness Week, Alzheimer Scotland have teamed up with a farm near Kelso to encourage people outdoors and into the countryside.
They say these activities can have huge benefits, after a year of cancelled events and changing routines.
Lynne Jobes, Owner of Beirhope Alpaca Trekking, said: "People tell us that alpacas are very therapeutic, they have a calming nature, they are inquisitive, captivating, people just love spending time with them."
Ian Pullen has been living with dementia for seven years. His wife, Prue, says outings like this can be really helpful for both of them.
She said: "It's sad really. It's a steadily relentless downhill swerve of him gradually losing his memory and his ability to reason and you lose the relationship, you lose the jokey parts.
"It's lovely to see him actually enjoying things because a lot of the time he's really muddled and anxious but out in the nature with the animals he can relax and enjoy it.
There are 90,000 people across Scotland living with the diagnosis of dementia with 2000-3000 in the Scottish Borders.
During the past year many of those people have lost their normal routines and contacts.
Dementia Nurse Consultant Christine Proudfoot said: "It's so important that we enable people to live well as they can continue to engage in community activities, which has been particularly challenging during the pandemic. It's given us all challenges, but particularly people with dementia."
The Alpaca sessions are continuing throughout the week, for people to walk, feed or just enjoy the company.