Children, Families & the Elderly

Boston’s most vulnerable citizens are BU’s most valuable citizens, and that’s a feeling shared by our administrators, faculty, staff, and students. From oral health to literacy, we’ve got our eyes on, and our hearts in, the future of this city and the families that have kept it vibrant and strong.

  • In the Horizons for Homeless Children program, volunteers from BU’s School of Dental Medicine provide oral health education and treatments to homeless children under six in Boston.
  • Our Holiday Reading Program expands children’s horizons via literature. Since its inception in 1988, the program has grown to include hundreds of the University’s varsity and club athletes visiting public schools around Boston. Athletes read aloud and discuss passages, providing the chance for kids to improve their reading skills as well as find positive role models.
  • BU’s BUILD program pairs Terrier tutors with young public school students across Boston to foster literacy.

Driven by the physicians and students on our Medical Campus, we serve the elderly in the greater community and their particular and unique needs, from simple companionship to Alzheimer’s support.

  • Through Boston University Geriatric Services, physicians and medical students provide an array of health services for Boston’s elderly, including in-home care, making over 5,000 home visits to 800 elders each year.617-414-4639
  • The PAIRS program gives local patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s and cognitive impairments the opportunity to interact and engage with medical students for a year, fostering better understanding of care and support issues.