April 1, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - UAB (University of Alabama at Birmingham) is looking for volunteers to help hospitalized elderly patients at meal time. The Spoons Program, directed by the UAB Center for Aging, will provide trained volunteers to assist older adult patients in UAB Hospital who need assistance or just companionship while eating.

Older adults, especially those with cognitive difficulties or memory loss, require more time to eat a meal than younger adults. And studies indicate that seniors who have companionship at mealtime eat better than if they eat alone.

Spoons will pair trained volunteers with older patients who do not have swallowing difficulties. Volunteers may assist with tray set-up, may actively feed patients who require assistance, or may simply be a friend during mealtimes, traditionally one of the most social times of the day.

Volunteers will provide an extra set of hands for busy nurses and patient care technicians at meal times, as each volunteer will spend about one hour with each patient. Fifteen volunteers already are active in the program. Organizers say they will expand the program from UAB Hospital to UAB Highlands as the need arises.

Those interested in the Spoons Program should contact George Mickwee at 205-934-7706 or gmickwee@aging.uab.edu.