UCLA student volunteers break through loneliness of patients with dementia

UCLA freshman Max Goodman looks forward every week to visiting with people who gather in a bungalow at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, even though they ’re not in his age group and have no connection to his current studies or campus life.They are a small group of seniors who are dealing with a cruel fate — early dementia due toAlzheimer ’s, mild cognitive impairment and other forms of dementia that cast a dark shadow over a life and leave people adrift, cut off from many  opportunities for social interaction.   Goodman is one of 19 UCLA student volunteers who break through this barrier of loneliness for three hours on Mondays and Thursdays with simple acts of companionship at a free on-campus day care for seniors, TimeOut @ UCLA. They play Monopoly with seniors, color pictures with crayons or indulge in other arts and crafts, read poetry or just enjoy a light conversation about each other ’s life experiences.“I love to talk and have conversations with the seniors who have such interesting back stories,” said the neuroscience major from Miami, Florida, who recently found out that an elderly woman he was speaking to is the niece of an illustrator for “Bambi.” “They often give me sage advice. It has also been interesting to meet the caregivers, spouses and other family members involved.”For the past three years, UCLA students like Goodman have been volunteering at TimeOut to meet people like Jeannette Young, 86, who is in the early stages of Alzheimer ’...
Source: UCLA Newsroom: Health Sciences - Category: Universities & Medical Training Source Type: news