Mentor program in California matches seniors with students

The San Francisco Joint Medical Program of the University of California school system has recently launched a new elder-mentor program for 16 students over a three-year period, according to The New York Times.


The classes all consist of talking to older adults, so that students have a unique window that allow them to glimpse at the aging process. So far Moira Nichols, 89, has taken to the idea.


"I really like knowing and being friends with people of all ages," she told the news source.

"[By the end of the program,] they will have some insight into what it’s like growing old."


Nichols is from a Piedmont Gardens, a retirement home, and may be a key to getting medical students more interested in the issues of aging. In this way, the universities hope to overcome stereotypes that generations may have of one another.


Another trend that may help bridge the gap between students and seniors is assisted living facilities on campus. A separate article for The New York Times reports that senior housing near universities is proving to be massively popular, due to the opportunities presented by the setting.


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