APO - Senior Buddy Program

The Senior Buddy Program focuses on reducing loneliness that is often found in seniors who do not have enough social interactions. The goal is to match UMF students (and community members) with a local resident at one of Farmington's assisted living facilities. The idea is for the student to visit weekly with their 'Buddy' at their convenience. The role of the students would be to provide more social interactions, by listening to their stories, having lunch together, talking, playing board games or cribbage, listening to music, etc. This program wants to ensure reliability, as research shows loneliness can actually increase if the social interactions suddenly stopped. The hope is to also get more students interested in the aging population!