Alzheimer’s Buddies

Who are we?

NAB functions by pairing college students with residents in local Alzheimer’s/dementia care facilities for weekly one-on-one visits. These students work with both family members and staff to determine the best way to utilize their visits in order to learn more about the interests and lives of the residents, thereby forming connections that help combat the isolation often felt by residents in such facilities. Additionally, NAB chapters in the past have helped educate campus communities about AD, launched music therapy initiatives, and performed clinical research studies. This year, Yale Alzheimer’s buddies is partnering with campus acapella groups to have them perform at our homes. For more information about NAB, please see www.alzbuddies.org.

What do we do?

1. Looking Glass Project:
   • Initiated and led by Jocelyn Ra, this program connects student volunteers with resident families to document and share patients’ lived histories, particularly for those dealing with memory loss.
2. Gift Baskets:
   • Using DH funding, we purchase gifts such as art supplies or DVDs for nursing homes to enhance the residents’ experience.
3. Invite Music Groups:
   • We extend community service opportunities to Yale music groups, inviting them to perform for nursing home residents once a semester.
4. Weekly Volunteering at Nursing Homes:
   • YAB volunteers visit nursing homes weekly, engaging in activities like board games, conversations, music, and art to empower students and break through the boundaries imposed by Alzheimer’s Disease.
5. Volunteering with Patients with Dementia:
   • Yale Alzheimer’s Buddies pairs college students with Alzheimer’s patients for weekly visits, aiming to improve care and quality of life while addressing emotional and social challenges associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
6. Semester Fundraiser:
   • YAB plans to hold a fundraiser in collaboration with local restaurants to provide financial support to nursing homes, ensuring they can offer optimal care, particularly for newer facilities.

For members:

Register here if you are a volunteer at Yale: https://www.alzbuddies.org/yale-registration

Complete your weekly journals here: https://www.alzbuddies.org/yale-journals

Contact yale@alzbuddies.org or Sarah Feng and Rianna Raghunandan (Co-Presidents, sarah.feng@yale.edu and rianna.raghunandan@yale.edu) for any questions.

Related opportunities:

Learn about volunteer opportunities with the Connecticut Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association here.

Mission

NAB functions by pairing college students with residents in local Alzheimer?s/dementia care facilities for weekly one-on-one visits. These students work with both family members and staff to determine the best way to utilize their visits in order to learn more about the interests and lives of the residents, thereby forming connections that help combat the isolation often felt by residents in such facilities. Additionally, NAB chapters in the past have helped educate campus communities about AD, launched music therapy initiatives, and performed clinical research studies. For more information about NAB, please see www.alzbuddies.org.

Student Leaders

Priya Gill – Co-Coordinator/Co-President Cullen Matthews – Co-Coordinator/Co-President

Activities

Volunteer Training Direct Service We will be hosting a training session for our new round of volunteers to ensure that they can appropriately interact with their ‘buddies’, or patient partners. We will walk through a standardized template made by the National Alzheimer’s Buddies organization and provide the volunteers with a quiz to make sure that volunteers have been properly trained. Mid-semester Check-In Direct Service In order to ensure that our students volunteering is going smoothly we will host a mid-semester check in where they are encouraged to voice any concerns and get to know other members who they may not volunteer with. Alzheimer’s Buddies Info Session Direct Service We will be hosting an informational session for both new and old members regarding volunteering this semester. Gift baskets for patients Direct Service Many of the patients that our students see do not have family that regularly visit them, so Alz Buddies tries to provide these residents with holiday gift baskets every semester. This brings great joy and warmth the patients! Movie Night Direct Service In order to facilitate discussions about neurodegenerative diseases and how to properly communicate with memory care patients we will host a movie night centered on Alzheimer’s Disease and follow up with questions for our volunteres. Transportation to and from nursing homes Direct Service We will encourage members to use Dwight Hall cars for transportation, but we typically have 50+ volunteers that we manage in any one semester. As a result, it can be difficult to ensure that each student goes through Dwight Hall every week to gain access to transportation. As a result, we are asking for funding to cover some of our transportation costs in emergency cases when a Dwight Hall driver is not available. Mid-semester Check-In Direct Service We will be hosting a mid-semester check in training to ensure that volunteers have been communicating appropriately and have not encountered any issues with their respective nursing homes. We will also walk through the initial training slideshow one more time. Weekly Nursing Home Visits Direct Service Our volunteers will be driving out to nursing homes on a weekly basis and spending time with their ‘buddies’ or patients. On any given visit patients can expect to play games, go on walks, watch TV, or participate in any other activity that their buddy wants to do. Weekly Nursing Home Volunteering Direct Service Each week, student volunteers are paired with residents in local Alzheimer?s and dementia care facilities for one-on-one visits lasting 1?2 hours. Volunteers collaborate with family members and facility staff to tailor each visit to the resident?s interests and personal history, creating meaningful interactions that reduce social isolation and improve quality of life. In addition to direct service, volunteers may also support related initiatives such as music therapy activities, campus education on Alzheimer?s disease, and participation in research projects connected to dementia care. There are currently 16 shifts of ~4 volunteers scheduled across our two partner facilities. Weekly Nursing Home Volunteering Direct Service Volunteers volunteer at HarborChase of Branford on a weekly basis for one hour! Activities range from reading to patients, participating in arts and crafts, or just talking. Volunteer Training Social/Cultural/Team-Building All volunteers complete a structured training before beginning their weekly visits. Training is delivered through a slide deck developed with Yale and national Alzheimer?s Buddies materials. The session covers: -Background information on Alzheimer?s and dementia care -Scenarios and role-play exercises to prepare volunteers for common situations when interacting with residents -Program expectations, including weekly commitment requirements -Attendance policies, which allow for 1?2 absences per semester This training ensures that volunteers are prepared to engage respectfully, reliably, and effectively with residents in care facilities.

How Others Get Involved

Feel free to reach out by emailing yale@alzbuddies.org or following @yalealzbuddies!