Want to bring a smile to the faces of old and young alike? Bring everyone together, get some flour, pumpkin and peanut butter together and start baking cookies. Not for human consumption, but for your favorite canine companions! While baking dog treats may sound silly to some, there is nothing silly about the benefits of bringing in local school children to visit memory care residents and working together on engaging projects, such as baking treats for their favorite pets.

The dog treat baking event is part of the Adopt-A-Grandparent program sponsored by Primrose Schools. And the staff and residents at Willowbrook Place Memory Care, in Littleton Colorado, were happy to be a part of it all.

The event, covered by local CBS Channel 4 in Denver, brought laughter and smiles all around as children and residents made dough and cut it into bone shaped “cookies” and popped them into the oven. What a treat for some lucky dogs to sample.

One resident exclaimed to the CBS reporter, “They’re young and their eyes get big and bright, and they have nice smiles! They’re learning!”

Programs that bring younger generations together with memory care residents are an important part of life for residents at Anthem Memory Care communities, such as Willowbrook Place. These inter-generational programs give our residents a sense of purpose as well as an opportunity to engage with children, whose energy and optimism never fail to lift spirits. This is especially important for individuals challenged by dementia, as it helps foster an improved connection to their environment and people around them. Doing so promotes emotional and physical health and wellbeing.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what will become of all those tempting dog treats, you need wonder no more. Coming soon to Willowbrook Place? A dog show!

Here’s the recipe if you’d like to host your own dog treat party:

• 5 cups wheat flour
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups of canned pumpkin
• 4 tablespoons of peanut butters
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Combine and roll the dough flat
• Stamp with bone-shaped cookie cutter
• Bake in a 425 degree oven, until golden brown
• (and don’t eat them yourself!)