Our college student “Buddies” visit with children in the hospital on a weekly basis and engage them in hospital playrooms and at bedside in arts and crafts, reading, games and more!
To respond to the needs of our communities, brought upon by COVID-19, we launched our Senior Buddy Program! Through this program, we will partner with senior living facilities to connect residents with our trained and caring college student “Buddies.” We have also opened our program to homebound seniors or seniors at unaffiliated facilities. Due to COVID, we will be offering virtual visits, in which students will connect with seniors through regular phone/video check-ins, providing companionship and support. The students will also help reinforce COVID precautions they should be taking and report any concerns about their well-being to facility staff/caregivers.
Our students have recorded videos reading stories, doing crafts, teaching cooking, and sharing music to keep young patients having fun, while they are unable to have visitors in the hospital due to COVID. We also have downloadable activity packets to help keep kids that are in isolation entertained. Activities are developmentally appropriate and curated for all age groups!
Here’s a live look at the total number of hours our active Buddies have spent with patients and seniors.