The app Mon Ami, which translates to "my friend" from French, was created by two Stanford graduates and entrepreneurs.
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It matches students with like-minded seniors, who pay $25/hr for companionship visits.
"We have students who say DoorDash, Uber, are not really for me -- what I really want is to do something meaningful with my time," said Mon Ami co-founder Joy Zhang.
Ruthie Newman, an 86-year-old former art teacher, lives in an assisted living facility in Sunnyvale, California and met Laura through Mon Ami.
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Newman's life passion was ceramics, so Laura, who teaches art to children and owns her own painting business, was a great fit.
They visit museums, go to lunch together, and paint, Newman's favorite activity.
"It helps me appreciate a lot of other things in my life. It's taught me a lot about just patience, appreciating the little things, and finding the humor in life," Laura said.