A “buddy” program connecting pre-med college students with memory care residents will create connections, promote careers in gerontology, combat ageism and improve the quality of life for residents, according to program organizers.
Waltonwood Senior Living, which offers independent living, assisted living and memory care at its communities in Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia, is collaborating with pre-health students in Wayne State University’s Institute of Gerontology to launch Michigan’s first Alzheimer’s Buddies chapter.
Sixteen students are going through background checks and orientation through the National Alzheimer’s Buddies program. Once ready, the students will partner with memory care “buddies” at six Waltonwood communities in the Metro Detroit area: Cherry Hill in Canton, Twelve Oaks in Novi, Royal Oak in Royal Oak, Lakeside in Sterling Heights, and University and Waltonwood Main in Rochester Hills.
Waltonwood Director of Life Enrichment Lindsay Charlefour told McKnight’s Senior Living that the students will start by building relationships and connecting with the residents, gradually moving into engagement activities, which could be anything from taking walks to watching birds to playing games.
“The therapeutic value of building relationships with other people, especially when you’re trying to combat social isolation, is invaluable,” Charlefour said. “Being able to have that in addition to our life enrichment programming we have, and having students who have the desire and are taking the initiative to want to connect with older adults with a cognitive disease and make an impact on their life, is incredible.”
Due to strong demand from students, the organization had to limit the number of participants, she said, adding that the interest speaks to the strides that professionals in the industry have made in helping others see the value of working with older adults.
“This experience of working alongside someone who really is understanding potential ways of how their brain is attempting to navigate through a disease process, I think, is going to be incredible for the students,” Charlefour said.
The Alzheimer’s Buddies initiative gives students a chance to forge connections with memory care residents and develop a deeper understanding of the challenges and joys of aging, according to the national website. Residents benefit from increased social interaction, mental stimulation and companionship.
Waltonwood and Wayne State have partnered for more than 15 years in a variety of ways, including community and professional education opportunities, but this is the first collaboration involving students.
“Over the years, I’ve been impressed at how committed Waltonwood is to increasing staff training and professional awareness of the issues faced in aging,” Gerontology Institute Director of Outreach Donna MacDonald said. “Now, Alzheimer’s Buddies will add an intergenerational component to Waltonwood’s already strong life enrichment programs. It’s the perfect match.”
The National Alzheimer’s Buddies program has more than 40 college chapters, with more than 600 student volunteers trained to befriend people living with dementia, to learn about them as individuals and to focus on discovering new ways to make the most of the present.
