Alzheimer's Buddy Program

As the US population ages, more elderly individuals are living out their final days in nursing homes. This is especially true for people with dementia who may feel especially isolated. This presentation will describe an Alzheimer's Buddy Program aimed at improving the well-being of seniors with dementia. The program was developed to connect dementia residents living in local nursing homes with Union College students. Through the support of an Obenzinger Fellowship, the Union College Kenney Community Center, and the Alzheimer's Association of Albany, I coordinated volunteer programs with both Schenectady County Glendale Home and Baptist Health Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. As coordinator of the program, I recruited student volunteers and organized informational sessions in which logistics about the program were discussed as were guidelines for how to interact with patients with dementia. The program began in October of 2019 and continued to the beginning of March of 2020. The group of volunteers comprised a total of 13 Union students, and each volunteer visited their assigned nursing home once a week for approximately 1.5 hours (as suggested by the nursing homes). Time at the nursing homes was spent participating in a wide variety of activities with the residents from assisting with meals, completing puzzles, going on walks, or simply engaging with residents socially. Although data was not collected from the nursing home residents, student volunteers appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the residents and hopefully the visits increased the residents' activity levels and brightened their days.