Volunteers Make Music Videos, Share Hobbies, to Help Dementia Patients and Older Adults Isolated by COVID

Generus has established a program allowing volunteers to produce pre-recorded "Video Visits" to let older adults and people with dementia know they are not forgotten, ignored, or alone during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports PR Newswire . Those who make Video Visits are mostly regular people, including hundreds of high school students across the country. The one- to three-minute-long videos share music, a talent, story, hobbies, or how-tos. The large number of student volunteers has allowed the program to grow nationally, and it is now drawing the interest of international volunteers. "Because of the limited opportunities for students to volunteer currently, and because we are dealing in a medium that students know well, they think of us as 'TikTok' for volunteering," said Generus CEO Jamie Larsen. "My favorite day of the week is our Zoom call with student volunteers from the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Nigeria, and Ethiopia. We discuss a cause we all care about and the ways different cultures and countries are dealing with this pandemic and aging." Toby Stigdon at Columbus Transitional Care in Indiana said Video Visits are a source of joy for residents in the community's memory care unit, especially those hit hard by the suspension of visitations.