(COLORADO SPRINGS) — The community at Bear Creek Assisted & Senior Living got to celebrate National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and National Assisted Living Week in a special way on Tuesday, Sept. 9, when a petting zoo from Wishing Star Farms visited.

Bear Creek Senior Living is a local memory care community in Colorado Springs with the mission to change the way society views people living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, in an environment where residents can live full and engaging lives.

During the event, the residents had the chance to interact with two goats, a sheep, a llama, a donkey, and a pony, bringing back tactile memories and a sense of joy and belonging.

“It brings back memories for residents from their childhood when they’ve grown up on the farm,” said Brenda Vigil, Memory Director at Bear Creek Senior Living. “And it’s really just a joy to see the joy on our residents’ faces, seeing those animals and being able to touch them and feel them and be part of the event itself.”