Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic and the declaration of a state of emergency by the Spanish government to combat it, the Miguel Hernández University of Elche, through its area of Development Cooperation and Volunteerism at the Vice Rectorate for International Relations, and in conjunction with the Spanish Red Cross, is launching the #LaUMHteAcompaña (TheUMHaccompaniesyou) voluntary service program. This initiative aims to alleviate the loneliness that that this pandemic is causing in elders through telephone calls made to them during the quarantine, and then for an additional three months after the quarantine concludes.

This intervention is aimed mainly at elders from the Province of Alicante who either live alone (or with a partner) in their own homes, as well as elders in nursing homes/residential care centers, who do not have immediate family members nearby and who have been affected by the new isolation measures (individual and small group) that have been adopted.

UMH undergraduate students and alumni of medicine, occupational therapy, and psychology may volunteer, as well as graduate students and alumni of the Clinical Medicine Research, General Health Psychology, Gerontology and Health, Health Management, Occupational Therapy in Neurology, and Primary Health Care Research programs. UMH faculty and research personnel from similar programs are also encouraged to participate.

If you are interested in volunteering, please continue reading by clicking this link.