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Llamas spread holiday joy to residents of Roswell senior living facility

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Published  December 27, 2023 11:03am EST
Roswell
FOX 5 Atlanta

Llamas spread holiday joy in Roswell

A Roswell senior living facility is spreading a little bit of holiday joy to its residents with the help of some unexpected guests.

ROSWELL, Ga. - A Roswell senior living facility is spreading joy to its residents with the help of some unexpected guests. 

Magnolia Place of Roswell brought in llamas for their residents for the second annual Fa La La Llama event.

"This is really a great day we're having today. People really enjoy it. The llamas are beautiful. They're beautiful! She got them dressed up so pretty!" Theresa DeCara said.

This is the second time DeCara, who lives at the facility, has met the llamas. She tells Good Day's Lindsay Tuman it's special for her and her family, who also come to enjoy the animals with her.

"I'll tell you, the last time the llamas came, my great-grandbaby did not know it. We surprised her. And when the llamas walked into the living room here, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree! She just loved the llamas and the animals," DeCara said.

This is just one of the events with animals that Alicia Ayre, the life enrichment director at the facility, puts on for the people who live here.

"Who wouldn't want to pet a llama - or I brought in 18 to 20 parrots, and they got to hold them," she said. "And we had a whole little mini-zoo come, so as much as I can do, I try to bring in."

Keith Cunningham works at Magnolia Place and says animals play an important role in the lives of the seniors here.

"Seniors really react well with animals because it helps cut down on anxiety, depression, loneliness. And it's something for them to give their love to, and it fills their hearts as well," he said.

Ayre says she has seen the interactions with llamas and other animals make a huge difference.

"There was a woman who had been nonverbal the whole time I had been there. She literally had got up and said ‘Oh how beautiful’ and started stroking the llama," Ayre said.

They have certainly helped brighten DeCara's life.

"All of the seniors enjoy this, because you know we don't get to do a lot of stuff living here, you know. So whatever they do for us, we really appreciate it," she said.