Nurturing a Culture of Connectedness: MediSked Virtual Visits

by Staff at MediSked

Social isolation and loneliness are prevalent topics that have garnered national attention and research for years. During the current pandemic, these issues are brought to the forefront as we continue to stay apart for the good of the community. We prefer the term physical distancing rather than social distancing — as social connection is more important than ever.

Social interaction and community integration both look significantly different than just a few weeks ago due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here at MediSked, we’ve been thinking about how the community is not just a place, it’s really a state of mind. We’ve created an initiative called MediSked Virtual Visits to promote social interactions and prevent isolation and loneliness.

MediSked Virtual Visits is a free opportunity to connect via video conference or phone calls with MediSked team members to support social interactions and community inclusion. MediSked volunteers host 30-minute activity-based sessions with individuals. We are open to activities of all kinds, including karaoke, virtual museum tours and roller coasters, trivia, pet experiences, and more. You can watch this short video to get a better idea of what these virtual visits look like in practice.

MediSked Virtual Visits provides a safe venue for meeting people and learning new things. This has also been a welcomed respite for parents. We received this feedback from the parent of one of our Virtual Visits participants, “For me, this is a gift of time, I get 30 minutes where he is occupied and happy. He and I have been locked down together since early March when we were exposed (thankfully we didn’t get it!). I love my son, but it is so difficult to try to work all day and help him have a good day.”

We love meeting new people and finding opportunities for joy and connection during this time of uncertainty.