ABSTRACT
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis has impacted the daily routines of students, people living with dementia, and their care partners. Social distancing results in fewer interpersonal interactions and enjoyable activities which makes life more challenging for those living with dementia. The purposes of this study were to understand how nursing students, people with dementia, and care partners (a) describe online visits between nursing students and people with dementia during stay-at-home directives in response to COVID-19 and (b) the perceived visit benefits. Nursing students participated in online visits to socially engage with their mentor (person living with dementia). After 12 visits, investigators completed one-to-one online interviews with students (n = 10), care partners (n = 8) and mentors (n = 8). Benefits of online visits were recognized across the cases. Findings suggest that lasting connections were formed between students and people with dementia during online visits, an activity that might be implemented outside of a crisis to prevent social isolation across generations.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).