Here are three takeaways.
- The hospital companions, all volunteers, receive extensive training before they are allowed to be with older patients. They learn about medical confidentiality, how to respond in an emergency and how to interact with patients, including patients with dementia, according to the report.
- UCLA Medical Center has nearly three dozen volunteers so far, and the hospital plans to add more.
- The hospital is designing studies to see if the the volunteer companions help improve medical outcomes, or at least improve patient experience, according to the report.
For more on this story and how hospital companions help patients, read Ina Jaffe’s full report in NPR.
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