Loneliness and lack of social comfort has a serious impact on many Canadians, especially in current circumstances, and unfortunately one of the most vulnerable populations includes seniors at risk of social isolation. The Student-Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership (SSIPP) is an initiative which partners medical students with elderly patients in the community assigned through physicians and health teams in London and Windsor, to provide regular check-ins and social comfort. This initiative will reduce the significant problem of social isolation among seniors, which increases risk of conditions including but not limited to depression, drug dependency, hospitalization, and mortality.

Student volunteers will be expected to attend a training event, call their assigned elderly friends regularly for a 20-30 minute check-in phone call, as well as respond to a volunteer coordinator to track their hours and progress. If you are applying for the current cycle, we ask that you commit to your senior until the end of the semester.

The deadline to apply is Wednesday, March 3rd at 11:59PM.

Please spread this form around to your medical student friends who may be interested in helping our most vulnerable patients during this crisis! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact ssipp.uwo@gmail.com