Are you a pre-health student seeking a unique experience and direct contact with patients?
“A Friend for Rachel” affords students
with professional interests in healthcare with a unique learning experience and
volunteer opportunity. Students provide ongoing
companionship to people with early-stage dementia.
Currently, 5.4
million Americans (1 person every 68 seconds) are diagnosed with dementia. As a “friend,” you can:
·
Help people
with early-stage dementia continue to enjoy their interests, stay active, be
involved in meaningful activity, develop new relationships, and avoid
isolation.
·
Help provide
respite time for their family caregiver.
·
Gain a
thorough understanding of a very complex disease, which is considered a public
health crisis.
·
Develop a
meaningful relationship with a person with dementia.
“Friends” must
commit to:
·
Spending 3-4
hours/week for with a person with early-stage dementia, for at least 1 semester
·
Participating
in research being conducted on the impact of the project on all participants.
·
Participating
in a series of 4 didactic and experiential learning workshops as well as
ongoing supervision provided by experts in the field. Workshop dates are 2-4pm, Sundays: Sept. 23, Oct. 7, Oct. 28,
Dec. 2
Some of topics
covered in training sessions include:
·
Understanding
dementia and cognitive impairment
·
Understanding
caregiver burden
·
Pursuing quality
of life and meaningful activity tailored to the individual utilizing art,
music, horticulture
·
Effective
communication skills for interacting with patients and families
·
Understanding
behaviors and why they have meaning
To participate:
·
Please
contact ewong@barnard.edu for the application and submit it no later than Thursday, September 20th to:
Jill Goldman jg2673@columbia.edu | Amy Trommer trommer.ae@gmail.com
Jill Goldman jg2673@columbia.edu | Amy Trommer trommer.ae@gmail.com
·
Interview
with us: you will be contacted with details after application submission
