ORLANDO, Fla. — November marks National Family Caregivers Month. According to a recent AARP report, early 55 million adult Americans are unpaid family caregivers.

CareYaya is a student-based caregiving service pair by local college students with those who need additional help most.

Bella Degenhardt starts her day by helping 94-year-old Elizabeth Nelson.

“I really enjoy spending time with people I can connect with. I think it’s really important to draw attention to the elderly care crisis in America,” said Degenhardt.

Degenhardt is a sophomore studying pre-law at Stetson University. While she may only be one person, she wants to spend her time helping others.

“I grew up in Vietnam. Some parts of it are really rural and other parts of it are very industrialized. The gap between the rich and the poor is insane. Honestly, I wanted to find a field where I can go into and still be able to foster connections with people, but also work towards creating better communities,” said Degenhardt.

According to AARP, there’s a nationwide caregiver shortage. Florida ranked 3rd in the worst states with the number of caregivers per 1,000 residents. Degenhardt recently joined a fleet of college caregivers with CareYaya, a company hoping to make caregiving affordable.

“We specialize in companionship care, but we can help them with anything from technology, and right now I’m making her bed. Sometimes it can get really hard for elderly people to do the everyday tasks. That’s what I’m here to do. It’s making their lives easier,” said Degenhardt.

While Degenhardt is only 19 years old, she’s making a difference as Nelson recovers from knee surgery.

“I think everybody likes to have somebody. I think that it’s nice they are helping college students,” said Nelson.

Just like that, a hard day’s work is over. Degenhardt can continue with her studies.

According to the CDC, loneliness and social isolation in older adults are linked to serious health conditions. That’s why CareYaya partners with local universities, pairing college kids with older adults. It allows college students a flexible work schedule, while also addressing the nationwide caregiver shortage.