COVID-19 pandemic partnership between medical students and isolated elders improves student understanding of older adults’ lived experience

Abstract

Background Evidence supports loneliness and social isolation as a strong risk factor for poor mental and physical health outcomes for older adults. The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated older adults isolate themselves for a prolonged duration. The Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto established the Student-Senior Isolation Prevention Partnership (SSIPP), a volunteer program involving telephone calls between medical students and older adults. Methods A mixed methods pre-post study design included collecting quantitative data from older adults using the UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. The study included 29 medical students and 47 older adults. The medical students filled out a questionnaire on self-perceived knowledge of social isolation, perception of seniors, attitudes towards seniors, and likelihood to engage in specialties focusing on older adults. Interviews were conducted with both the older adults and the medical students to understand each groups’ experiences and perspectives with taking part in the SSIPP program. Results Participation in the program resulted in significant changes for medical students in areas such as increasing their likelihood to engage in care for older adults (p < .001), improving their knowledge of social isolation for seniors (p < .001), and the value of addressing social isolation in older adults (p < .001). The interviews conducted with the medical students support these findings and provide insight into contributing factors. Loneliness and mental well-being scales did not show significant changes for older adults however, our interviews revealed they considered the program to be valuable. Conclusions Our results showed that after the communication outreach program, medical students’ perceptions were positively influenced towards older adults and they were more likely to pursue a career concentrated on older adults. The qualitative analysis revealed older adults valued the program. Timing and consistency of calls were factors identified by this group as having practical importance.

Role of community participation on covid-19 epidemics: a national-based interventional study

“…The acceptable effectiveness of this project showed that in critical situations such as acute, emerging, threatening and progressive pandemics and other biological threats, the maximum voluntary participation of people can be used, especially in countries with economic and national income restrictions. Moonen et al (14) in Toronto, Canada in a volunteer program involving telephone calls between medical students and older adults showed that after the communication outreach program, medical students' perceptions were positively in uenced by older adults and they were more likely to pursue a career concentrated on older adults. The qualitative analysis revealed older adults valued the program.…”