Celeste Cruz/Vaquero Radio
National Alzheimer’s Buddies is an organization recently added at UTRGV. The organization is present in other universities who support and accompany patients affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Student members volunteer at Barcelona Assisted Living in McAllen and Bella Vista Assisted Living in Brownsville.
Member of the National Alzheimer’s Buddies Miranda Sifuentes said students who volunteer get to form connections with patients who have neurodegenerative diseases.
Some ways the club interacts with the elderly is by participating in activities together, such as playing loteria, puzzles, dancing and coloring.
Member of National Alzheimer’s Buddies Danielle Barber explained how volunteers are able to stimulate patients’ cognitive ability.
“You can kind of volunteer at your own time and you get paired with one buddy,” Barber said. “And this buddy is usually someone who has Alzheimer’s or dementia. We kind of just spend time with them. It kind of affects their cognitive ability and kind of stimulates it.”
She mentioned being part of the organization is beneficial as a medical student.
“As a pre-med student, it’s also very beneficial to kind of get that patient care interaction, along with the volunteer hours that are needed to make you a competitive applicant for medical school as well,” Barber said.
She believes being involved is rewarding because volunteers can spend time with someone who most likely doesn’t have family members who visit them frequently.
“It’s more, like, a learning experience for me, knowing the symptoms,” Barber said. “And honestly, it’s very rewarding to go and visit someone … just to help someone else out who may not be getting visitors, visiting them and spending time with them that they may not be getting from their family members.”
Member of National Alzheimer’s Buddies Laura Mendoza said she has learned more about Alzheimer’s in the organization because her grandmother experienced the condition.
“I would like to learn more about it,” she said. “I know that my own grandma has Azheimer’s, and I’ve definitely learned so much more in how to, I guess, navigate doing things with my own grandmother and her progress with Alzheimer’s.”
Students who are interested in joining National Alzheimer’s Buddies can visit its Instagram @utrgv_alzbuddies or email utrgv.nab@gmail.com.
This is Celeste Cruz for Vaquero Radio.
