Being hospitalized for any length of time disrupts any patient’s daily life. This is especially difficult for older patients. Normal routines are interrupted; days are long; older patients need assurance that the hospital experience will be successful. The nationwide evidence-based Hospital Elder Life Program (HELP) is a free service for patients ages 65 and older. The goal of the program is to help patients return to or stay in their own homes — not nursing homes, according to the program. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center’s adoption of HELP is improving health outcomes for its oldest patient population by providing personalized care beyond a medical care team. Trained HELP volunteers visit the older adults to prevent loneliness, delirium, and functional decline. Matthew Axtman has been a volunteer since July. He will be using his experience as a volunteer with the HELP program as he takes the medical school exam. "It’s amazing getting acquainted with staff," Axtman said. “The program is giving me experience that I’ll use in the future.” He offered a story about an interaction he experienced. "Some patients love to talk, but this patient was reluctant," he said. Axtman suggested discussing movies, news and finally discovered that the patient loved politics. "When I left, he shared that he really didn’t think he wanted to, but I’m glad to talk to you," Axtman said. Axtman’s favorite part of being involved in the program is the conversations he gets to have with patients about their childhood or how they met their partner. "They have all lived long lives full of interesting stories," he said. A research team at Aurora Health Care took the American Geriatric Society (AGS) CoCare®: HELP – formerly known as HELP, the Hospital Elder Life Program idea a step further. The team found that patient outcomes continued to improve when this specialized care was provided across the continuum of care, in this case within a patient’s home, in partnership with a patient’s formal caregivers – in-home nurses, physician therapists and family. AGS has since adopted the Aurora-created HELP in Home toolkit and made it available nationwide.