About 160 students at thirteen colleges, including Cornell, throughout New York State are visiting and helping out almost 700 individuals with chronic care needs as part of federally-funded program to help enhance the independence of the elderly and chronically disabled and to reduce social isolation.
Students also attend a seminar taught by a trained faculty member at their institution.
At Cornell, the seminar is taught by Professor Peter Chi of the Department of Consumer Economics and Housing. Students and recipients are extremely satisfied. The students are showing improved attitudes towards the elderly and disabled and a greater interest in service careers. What we are really trying to determine is how the project affects their attitudes toward the elderly and community service in general. We have tremendous anecdotal evidence that these student experiences in SAIL are positive and meaningful to them while the elderly and chronically disabled find the student visits valuable and helpful in living more independent lives.