Friendly volunteers may ease dementia loneliness

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: Persons with dementia and informal caregiver (PWD/CG) must both meet eligibility criteria. These criteria are designed to reduce PWD/CG attrition and ensure safety of PWD, CG, and volunteers. PWD are eligible if: * English speaking; * Have an established physician clinical diagnosis of dementia (any stage) and confirmed with Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the. Elderly (IQCODE) cut off \>=52 , * Are able to participate in at least 4 basic Activities of Daily Living (out of 11), * Have not received formal (i.e., in-home companion care, or adult day center) activity-focused care services in the past 4 weeks, * Living at home in all counties in Maryland and Baltimore City, * Have a co-residing informal caregiver willing to participate as study partner, and 30 years old or older. CG are eligible if: * English speaking, * 21 years of age or older (male or female), * Deemed to be a reliable informal caregiver (not paid for caregiving of PWD) who knows the PWD well, * Co-residing with the PWD, and * Relied on by the PWD for assistance in activities of daily living (instrumental or basic). Volunteers (i.e. "Companion Guides") are eligible if: * English-speaking, * 55 years or older, (3) High School diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) (minimum) (2) ability pass a basic adult literacy screen * Ability to pass a background check, physical and mental health screening, * A Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA)-Blind score of 18 or above, * Ability to commit to 12 months of service (5 hours per week, excluding travel time and continuing education and support), and * Are reliable during intake and on-boarding process and able to successfully complete training. Exclusion Criteria: PWD are excluded if: * Deemed to be in a crisis/unsafe situation at baseline, * Planned transition from home in less than 6 months, * At end-stage disease (e.g. bed-bound and non-communicative, or hospice), * Currently enrolled in a dementia related clinical trial, or * Deemed to have severe behavioral symptoms so severe that participation in this study is unsafe (e.g., are placing self or others at harm). CGs are excluded if: * Do not plan to be co-residing with the PWD in the next 6 months, or * Currently involved in a behavioral/educational clinical trial. Volunteers are excluded: * Planning on moving from the area in the next 12 months, * Unable to provide informed consent, and * Report having an existing cognitive disorder diagnosis by a health provider (e.g., Mild Cognitive Impairment, Alzheimer's disease or other type of dementia).