Hi Everyone, My name is Lauren and Therafish UK is a voluntary community initiative which i run in my spare time. It aim’s to set-up fish tanks in the communal areas of care homes and hospices free of charge, the project relies on all equipment and fish being donated by hobbyists looking to re-home their fish and gear for various reasons. Despite some of the main items for this project being donated, i am asking for your help today in order to cover additional costs associated with this project for example, i always like to donate an aquarium care package which includes tank cleaning materials, fish food and an info booklet. I also need to carry out repairs on equipment donated such as tank re-seals etc....

My idea for this initiative came about as a direct result of interacting with visitors when i worked at Macduff Marine Aquarium, located on the Moray Firth this aquarium showcases native species from surrounding Scottish coastal waters. We would often get groups visiting from nearby sheltered housing organisations and it always struck me how much enjoyment individuals got from watching the fish in the tanks. Chatting with people was always interesting, and many would comment on how calming and relaxing they found the experience. I started to think about the people who were unable to take part in such visit’s and whether they would benefit from an aquarium experience – all be it on a much smaller scale, which they could see every day.

I began to research the scientific studies that had been conducted to investigate the relationship between the presence of fish tanks in communal dining areas as a form of Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT), in relation to weight gain and nutritional uptake in residents diagnosed with Dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and psychiatric disorders. Results from various studies were fascinating, those suffering with the aforementioned diseases typically showed a reduction in weight upon permanently residing in residential care. However upon the introduction of a fish tank, residents weight gain and nutritional uptake improved to the extent that daily supplements could be reduced. This improvement continued with the long term presence of the tank.

These remarkable changes occurred due to the effect that the presence of a tank had on people’s behaviour, in one particular study which focused on those with Alzheimer’s Disease (Edwards & Beck 2002, Journal of Nursing Research) staff members observed that individuals with a history of pacing and wandering sat for longer periods observing the aquarium, this additional time leading to increased time spent eating. Individuals who tended to be lethargic were more attentive and awake in the presence of the aquarium, again allowing greater food consumption.

So, with all of this in mind when an opportunity arose in the summer of 2017, to over-see the transportation on-shore of some tropical cichlids that had been residing in a tank on an oil-rig that was currently being decommissioned out in the North Sea. I leapt at the chance and also inquired about the re-homing plan for these fish, and so it was that these well traveled fish became the first donation to the Therafish UK project!

This first tank went to Ruthrieston House in Aberdeen, since then i have been able to install two other aquariums; one at Crosby House and one at Kingsmead, also both in Aberdeen. I am now working on collecting donations for more projects both in the North East and also in the Scottish Highlands.

You can keep up to date with all of the Therafish UK projects via my facebook page @TheraFishUK and if you would like to contact me about installing a tank at a care home or hospice you can reach me on therafishprojectuk@gmail.com