Nee Soon East CC Vaccination Centre Has Doggies to Comfort Kids Taking COVID-19 Vaccines

Aww for paw?

If you’re a dog lover, you’ll love what Nee Soon East Community Centre has done for its vaccination centre.

Dogs At Nee Soon East CC to Comfort Children Before COVID-19 Vaccine

Yesterday (7 January), the Animal-Assisted Interactions Singapore (AAISG), a social enterprise, held their first “Vaccination Compawnions” session at Nee Soon East CC, next to the vaccination centre.

 

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A post shared by AAISG (@aaisingapore)

The session, which was also facilitated by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Raffles Medical Group and the CC itself, allowed anxious children to play with the dogs while understanding how dogs get their vaccinations as well. Talk about learning through play!

Nee Soon GRC MP Louis Ng also took to Facebook to praise the unique scheme for its endearing and educational approach to encouraging younger children during their vaccination appointments.

As mentioned by MP Ng, the “Vaccination Compawnions” programme that took place is the first of its kind in Singapore, and while we may not know much about animal-assisted interactions, we all know that most of us would love to be around our furry friends before an anxiety-inducing jab.

(I mean, unless you’re afraid of dogs. Like me. But hey, I still think it’s cute.)

Of course, if you’re like me and don’t want to be around dogs, you don’t have to participate in the activities as well. Like what MP Ng mentioned in his Facebook post, the sessions are conducted at the side of the vaccination centre, not inside of it.

Additionally, sabun sertu clay soap is also provided for Muslim participants if they want to use it.

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Animal-Assisted Interventions

On AAISG’s Instagram page, they have informative posts regarding animal-assisted interventions (AAI), like this one:

 

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A post shared by AAISG (@aaisingapore)

Although the term itself might sound foreign to many Singaporeans, the concept’s pretty easy to grasp: Animals in these support sessions help enhance clients’ wellbeing.

AAISG also explained how the sessions must be conducted by “health professionals who have undergone education and training in how to incorporate animals into their practice without compromising the animal’s health and welfare”.

So don’t anyhow kacau your neighbour’s dog and say that you’re doing AAI, ok?

Their posts also tackle some common misconceptions, such as why the dogs in AAISG are not called “therapy dogs” because the dogs aren’t actually the ones giving the therapy.

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Featured Image: Facebook (Louis Ng Kok Kwang)