COVID Companions

05/24/2021

Congratulations to our program staff on graduating with their Master of Public Health Degrees from the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine! Best wishes as they all move forward with promising careers and bright futures! 💜

COVID Companions welcomes new team members on board as the program continues to grow and serve older adults in the New River Valley. Keep a look out for their bios, which will be posted soon! 🤩

05/01/2021

Just a quick announcement, we are still searching for participants to join our program!

Do you or a loved one know an older adult who is searching for friendship, help with technology, or to connect with younger adults in the NRV during the COVID-19 pandemic? COVID Companions is the perfect option for those older adults living in and around our community.

Reach out and message this page if you are looking to join COVID Companions as a participant or know of someone who would want to join! We look forward to hearing from you soon!

04/10/2021

Learn about what to do and what not to do when double masking! Check out the attached graphic for more information about how to make sure you are staying safe while double masking against COVID-19!

03/31/2021

Volunteer shoutout! 🤩
Thanks to our awesome volunteers, we wouldn't be able to run this program without you!

If you haven't seen us yet, look out for us at the New River Health Department COVID Vaccine Clinics! We will be there to hand out resources, share information about the program, and even sign you up in real time if you are interested in enrolling in the program!

03/26/2021

Loving COVID Companions???
Check out this group we are teaming up with, TransparenSee! They are a team of MPH students and a graduate student engineer who created a scalable, clear face mask to allow communication to be more effective within the deaf and hard of hearing community, with the intention of creating a more inclusive environment. Their mask is reusable, easy to disinfect, adjustable, and validated to be equivalent to a cloth face mask. Using a clear mask allows individuals to read lips and see facial features. Check out their page to get more updates/information as they distribute their FREE mask to a wide variety of community organizations within the NRV and feel free to reach out to them if you are interested in receiving a mask!
You can also follow them on Instagram:

03/25/2021

03/23/2021

Good news! We are searching for more volunteers to be paired with an older adult in the New River Valley. COVID Companions is a buddy program that will connect older adults with a background checked friend within the NRV community. Our program includes weekly phone calls or video-calls between the older adult and the companion. You can speak to them about anything such as technology training if desired. If you companion requests usage of a tablet, we can provide an Amazon Fire HD tablet so they can remain connected during these distanced times. Message us on this page if you are interested in volunteering with our program!

03/17/2021

If you weren't able to catch us on the news last night, you can read the article here! Thank you WDBJ7 for this awesome opportunity to help spread the word about COVID Companions. If you or someone you know would like to sign up to receive a companion, DM us!

COVID Companions is buddying up by keeping in touch and teaching older adults about technology. The companions typically have conversations once a week for about an hour with their buddies.

03/16/2021

Look out for the COVID Companions on the news tonight! Tune into WZBJ24 at 10:00PM or WDBJ7 at 11:00PM to hear more about how the program was started, the services we provide, and our awesome volunteers! You might even hear from a participant or two about their experiences with their buddies 🤩💜

03/10/2021

Do you or a loved one know an older adult who is searching for friendship, help with technology, or to connect with younger adults in the NRV during the COVID-19 pandemic? COVID Companions is the perfect option for those older adults living in and around our community.

COVID Companions is a buddy program that connects older adults with a friend within the NRV community. This program offers weekly phone calls or video-calls with a companion. We can also help develop technology skills to help you stay connected with friends and family during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also offer Amazon Fire HD tablets to those older adults who need additional technology assistance in order to remain connected with friends and family. Check out the attached image for more information on how to reach out to our team!

02/22/2021

Who are the COVID Companions? Your Leadership Team is a group of 5 Master of Public Health students at Virginia Tech! Meet the Team:

02/16/2021

Help us reach our friends in the New River Valley! 💜

We are STILL looking for older adults in the area who have become home bound or isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We provide companionship, technology, and technology assistance to all who are interested!

If you or somebody you know would like to be a participant in our program, please contact Cindy from the Virginia Tech Center for Gerontology at (540) 231-7657, or email us at [email protected] or direct message us. 🤩

02/06/2021

Hi everyone! Thank you SO much in your interest in this program. We love that we have so many enthusiastic & excited volunteers! Right now we have way more companions than we do older adults, so although we would love to expand this program to get as many NRV community members involved as possible, we will be TEMPORARILY PAUSING our volunteer intake.
Please still let us know if you, or someone you know (a home bound older adult), would like to be paired with a Companion by calling the Center for Gerontology at (540)231-7657. Thank you 💜

02/04/2021

Why join the COVID Companions program?

If you are an active participant in the CC program, you can receive an Amazon Fire HD Tablet with a protective case. This tablet is yours to keep, free of charge!

Please contact us if you, or someone you know, is interested!!

02/04/2021

Hi Everyone! Welcome to the COVID Companions program based in the New River Valley. We hope to connect older adults in the area with a friend in the area to talk to over the phone and video calls!

If you or someone you know may be interested in becoming a participant in our program, you can directly message us here, call the connected phone number on this page, or call the number on our flyer!