Geriatric Medicine

Companion Care Program

A young woman speaking with an older patient resting in his bed

Hospitals can be lonely places for patients, especially older adults who may have few, if any, family members or friends living nearby to visit them. That’s why, through the vision and generosity of the Samuel Steinberg Family Foundation, the Companion Care Program was created at the Geriatrics Special Care unit in Santa Monica.

Under this program, specially trained volunteers provide individualized companionship to older patients while they are hospitalized. Typical activities provided by these companions include – but are not limited to – reading, playing games, assisting with feeding and accompanying patients on walks under a nurse’s supervision.

The Companion Care Program was also recently featured on CBS news! >

How to Volunteer

Anyone over the age of 18 can apply to volunteer in the Companion Care program. The minimum amount of hours volunteers must commit to the program is 150 hours. Please use the link below to apply:

volunteer.uclahealth.org/custom/527/opp_details/4135

Contact Us

If you would like to volunteer, or for more information about the Companion Care program, please email Nadia Akram, [email protected].