Whether you’ve grown up with grandparents always around, not at all or intermittently –– there is no other feeling like connecting with an older adult, according to members of Perfect Pair. Once a week, a small group of students pay a visit to AlmaVia San Francisco to interact with their Perfect Pair. AlmaVia San Francisco is the nursing home that is partnered with the SF State chapter of Perfect Pair.
Perfect Pair is a brand new club on SF State’s campus and is the only chapter in California. According to the Perfect Pair website, the non-profit organization offers one-on-one connections between college students and older adults. The mission of Perfect Pair is to bridge generational gaps. The SF State chapter is still getting the ball rolling, having made five pairs.
The organization has made it convenient for students to visit their match alongside their class schedule on a weekday of their choosing. The process to join takes a couple of steps. An interested student has to fill out a questionnaire in order to receive a pair from AlmaVia. Next, a TB test is required to visit the resident.
Different backgrounds
Kaique Carlos, the publicity chair of Perfect Pair, resonates with the mission of Perfect Pair because he was raised by his grandparents.
“I have a clear understanding of how lonely it can be for the elderly when they are away from family and friends,” Carlos said. “When I heard about the club, it was just something that I became quickly interested in and wanted to become part of.”
Carlos is originally from Brazil. Carlos and his brother were raised by their grandparents for the first 10 years of his life, before joining his mother in the U.S.
He believes having these weekly meetings will be the highlight of his week. At the time of publication, Carlos is still in the process of receiving a match.
For another member of the group, Karina Rubio Tello, she didn’t grow up with her grandparents so this club fills that gap for her. Tello is the community events chair at Perfect Pair. Her job is to plan an event every month with club members and AlmaVia residents.
“Growing up, I never had a grandparent or grandma, so I just thought it [Perfect Pair] was perfect to be able to have that connection,” Tello said.
Tello meets with her match, Custanza “Connie” Foran, every Tuesday at 2 p.m. and has been visiting for the past few weeks. They started meeting in late February.
Tello loves to hear Foran talk about her experiences. Foran discusses her family, which is of Italian descent. According to Tello, Perfect Pair gives her the opportunity to make a connection to a grandparent she never had.
“Growing up, for most of my friends, their grandparents took care of them,” Tello said. “For me, growing up my siblings were like a babysitter, so I never really got to experience that love from a grandparent. Joining the club, I feel like I get to visit my grandma.”
In the future, Tello and Foran will join a karaoke event at AlmaVia and also paint together. Right now, they are still getting to know each other by sharing their family history.
Managing Loneliness
“I think it can be beneficial for SF State students because when we’re talking about older generations I feel like there’s a sense of wisdom that they have,” Carlos said in regards to the importance of the club. “Also being able to make connections with other people that are not from our circle and not around our age is definitely beneficial for widening our perspectives.”
The publicity chair also mentioned that these residents do not receive many visitors. According to Carlos, by making these visits, SF State students are adding to an older adult’s life.
According to Perfect Pair’s 2024 annual report, 83.3% of older adults that have been matched with a college student, feel less lonely. The annual report also mentions, 91.9% of older adults that have participated in the organization have felt “increased happiness” after meeting their match.
Based on the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine, 1 in 3 older adults experience loneliness and isolation. Perfect Pair established a chapter at the University of Michigan in 2020.
Both older adults in nursing homes and college students experience loneliness when moving to a new place.
According to the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment in Fall 2023, 74.3% of college students reported seeing a healthcare professional for depression.
Connecting Generations
Raquel Tamayo and Helen Matosich –– Tamayo’s match –– both enjoy working with kids, but they were originally matched for their interest in creative arts. Tamayo wants to be a pediatrician and Matosich was previously a teacher.
“I’m getting to know her [Raquel], and I am happy to be able to meet with her regularly,” Matosich said.
The AlmaVia resident loves to draw and paint with watercolors. She has been at AlmaVia for years but hasn’t been able to keep track. Matosich enjoys living with her “sisters,” she thinks of the people she lives with at AlmaVia as family.
“I think of myself as an artist and also as a person who likes to read, especially spiritual things,” Matosich said. “I do art. I really make an effort to do art everyday.”
Tamayo has learned patience from this experience.
“I’m learning new things daily, like every single time I go,” Tamayo said, in regard to learning about her match. “It’s really nice, I have definitely talked about it with people here on campus, and I’ve literally said, ‘I would prefer to go as many hours as I can, than to spend it with college students or with people around [my] age. They’re amazing, they’re incredible.”
The Future of Perfect Pair
Club President Graciela Bejarano has worked on putting this club together since July of 2024. Bejarano joined because she wanted to assist her elders. She said growing up in a Latino household taught her to respect her elders.
“The way I grew up, my grandparents were always taking care of us; they kinda became my second parents,” Bejarano said. “Just in a lot of Latino cultures, we are taught not to talk back [and] to respect our elders.”
Bejarano is paired with AlmaVia resident Lee Mcgrath. Even though Mcgrath uses a wheelchair, they bond over hiking. Bejarano believes Mcgrath is empathetic and enjoys getting to talk with her about family.
Vice President of Perfect Pair, Isabel Luna is a fourth-year cell and molecular biology major.
“Because we are the first chapter, it is a great way to introduce a club like this to California,” Luna said, in the hope that neighboring schools will join.“San Francisco is extremely diverse, meaning that there is [sic] so many different cultural backgrounds and people coming from different places. But that also means that the older generation need diverse students to help spread the word and their message.”
The club is still making matches and looking for SF State students to pair up with AlmaVia residents. Bejarano was inspired to join because she wants to help people. She is a pre-med student who believes older adults are an underserved community. Bejarano plans to go into geriatrics when transferring to medical school.
“I really hope that we become a bigger organization and we have more volunteers,” Bejarano said. “My goal is to have every resident at AlmaVia have a pair or at least be a part of the program.”
