Nursing students' experiences as dementia partners in volunteer activities: An inductive content analysis

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the experience of nursing students who volunteered as dementia partners for elderly persons with dementia.Methods: This qualitative study utilized focus group interviews to investigate the experiences of 20 nursing students who performed dementia partner activities for more than one year. Data were analysed using an inductive content analysis approach based on Elo & Kyngäs.Results: The analysis yielded the following four major themes: “becoming a dementia expert,” “becoming an evangelist for prevention of dementia,” “overcoming prejudices against aged with dementia,” and “acquiring motivation and skills of geriatric nursing” That means the experience as a dementia partner serves as an opportunity to broaden human understanding and shows its potential as a means to complement the effectiveness of practical nursing education.Conclusion: Dementia partner experiences have changed the perception, attitude and behavior of nursing students about the aged with dementia, so there is a need to extend this kind of experience to other students in nursing. Moreover, educational policy support should be continuously provided for this purpose.