Pairing students with people living with memory changes
Being a New Friends MENTOR
New Friends brings together UW–Madison students and people living with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. Mentors meet with their students once a month, in person in Madison between October 2025 and April 2026. Caregivers are welcome to attend student meetings alongside mentors, though their involvement is optional.
New Friends allows people who are living with memory impairment to share their life experiences, express their hopes regarding their health care and to participate in the training of future health care providers and citizens.
Registration for the 2025-2026 program is open for people living with memory changes, who are called mentors.
If you are interested in being a mentor, please submit the application here:
If you have questions about being a mentor, please contact Molly Schroeder at 608-262-6910.
Being a New Friends STUDENT or Mentee
New Friend student pairs meet with their mentor once a month, for approximately 2 hours, between October 2025 and April 2026, to connect informally through in person chats and activities. New Friends helps students gain a personal perspective of life with memory loss and a closer look at the realities faced by family caregivers. While this is a volunteer program, it is part of a research study and students are required to attend 2-hour monthly meetings. The purpose of the meeting is to learn about living with dementia, teach students how to be more dementia friendly, and to share their experiences.
This year we will have two cohorts. One cohort will meet on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m.-Noon. The other cohort will meet on Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m. Please review the schedule before applying.
This program is offered by the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
More information about New Friends
Find more details on the program flyer.
MENTORS AND CAREGIVERS, if you have a question about the New Friends program, please email or call Molly Schroeder at 608-262-6910.
STUDENTS, if you have a question about the program, please email or call Sheryl Spensley at 608-265-4042.
