Are you looking for a fun service learning or volunteer opportunity? New Friends might be for you!
New Friends is a program that brings together health professional students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and individuals with mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias (mentors) to meet virtually one-to-one on an informal basis outside of the clinical setting. Through shared activities and conversations, New Friends provides an opportunity for students to learn from the mentor and their family as they share their experiences with dementia. It also provides an opportunity for the mentor and their family to voice concerns regarding their care and contribute to the training of future health professionals.
The time commitment is 1-2 hours each month, plus a monthly hour and a half-long debriefing/educational meeting (usually on a Saturday morning) with fellow students and program staff. The program runs from late October through April.
A mandatory orientation and meet-and-greet program will kick-off the start of the program on November 14, 2020 from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.
If you are interested, please complete the application. Please contact Bonnie Nuttkinson for more information at bnuttkin@medicine.wisc.edu. After we receive your application, we will meet with you virtually and ask you to complete a consent form.
This post was authored by Diane Farsetta on 10/09/2020.