'I Like Giving Them Hope': GA College Offers Love in Action' Program for Students to Call Seniors During Pandemic

Students at one George college are making a positive impact on the lives of senior citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Georgia Southern University launched the Love in Action telephone program where students check on the mental health and wellbeing of older adults living in the area by calling them twice a week. 

The university's Senior Companion Program received a $10,000 grant from the Rockin' Out Alzheimer's Disease Foundation (ROAD) which allowed them to move forward with the program.

Deb Blackburn, director of Love in Action said the university was working on a plan prior to receiving the grant earlier this month, WJCL-TV reports.

"We had already started working on a phone reassurance program and so we just put the two together and got it off the ground in about three weeks," Blackburn said."We're really hoping that this fall we can roll it over for the new incoming students and we can continue to foster the program so that we can continue it."

Hundreds of senior citizens, many suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's, have been on a waiting list for this service during the coronavirus outbreak. 

Darron Burnette, the chief financial officer of ROAD, started the organization after his mother passed away from Alzheimer's in 2012 as a way to raise money and promote awareness.

"During COVID-19, we were trying to figure out how we could help people out there," Burnette said. "We felt like there was an immediate need for us to seek out the Senior Companion Program because of their involvement through the telephone."

Funds raised by ROAD have gone to various organizations dedicated to Alzheimer's research and the treatment of people with dementia. Burnette said the pandemic provided an opportunity for ROAD to assist the Love in Action program.

Tanaja Armendariz is a Sociology major at Georgia Southern and was among the first volunteers willing to get involved with the program.

"I like just letting them know that there are people out there who are willing to help in any way that they can," she said. "I guess I like giving people hope."

One phone call at a time, Love in Action is improving the lives of senior citizens and bridging the generational gap.

"The telephone reassurance of the student callers will not only be an opportunity to brighten someone's day, but also creates a social tie, which research shows improves health and longevity," Blackburn added. "I am also hopeful that this intergenerational contact will give some students a new appreciation for older adults."

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