Conversations to Remember, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, dedicated towards combating loneliness and isolation felt by senior citizens, is interested in working with students! Their virtual visit program matches 2-3 college students with residents of long-term care, assisted living, and memory care communities for virtual video visits. These residents have been suffering from isolation, and are in need of kindred spirits to brighten their days just by speaking with them. They provide training to the students in the program about the best ways to interact with the seniors, as well as additional support throughout their service. Since these visits are virtual, students can do it without needing travel. This program is free of charge to seniors across the country. See more details below.
Typically, students volunteer one hour per week. Each call lasts up to one hour, based on the senior’s attention span and mood on each day. We expect students to volunteer for at least 16 weeks, so that they can build a friendship with the senior. This does not need to coincide with the start of a quarter, as we have new seniors starting all the time, and train new volunteers weekly. The students are matched based on the times that they’re available, with a senior who is available at the same time, and they will have a regular, weekly appointment for their visit. Students wishing for more visits or other opportunities that allow them to volunteer more hours can be accommodated with different ways to volunteer, such as assisting us with our social media, call support, or outreach.
Please feel free to contact Charlotte (charlotte@conversationstoremember.org) with any questions that you have about the program, or to look through our website, at https://conversationstoremember.org. You can register to volunteer by filling out a volunteer interest form on our website. If you’d like a flyer for distribution, you can find one here.
