The University of Vermont is launching a new volunteer program this month to help foster friendships between high school students and older Vermonters. Organizers say the Vermont Youth Leaders in Aging Program also aims to help encourage young people to enter careers that serve seniors.

“One of the greatest concerns voiced by our community and state partners is the workforce shortage in elder care,” said Marissa Birne, associate director of education at the Center for Aging at UVM’s Larner College of Medicine.

“It’s why we created this program,” Birne explained. There’s a critical shortage of gerontologists in Vermont along with physical and occupational therapists, social workers, memory care workers, case managers and others who care for older Vermonters, she said.

Fostering strong,

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