Remote social conversations between families and aged francophone seniors in retirement homes in New Brunswick and Manitoba during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background COVID-19 pandemic led to excessive mortality in long-term care facilities (LTCFs). LTCFs visitation bans resulted in the development of virtual social conversations (VSC) to address social isolation and loneliness. Numerous initiatives have been developed but, little literature exists on VSC with linguistic minorities in Canada. Objectives: To explore VSC by families to continue socializing with their seniors in LTCFs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Cross-sectional design conducted in Manitoba and New Brunswick (Canada). Results: Thirteen participants were included, all females. Facetime (47.4%) and Facebook (21%) were the top VSC applications used. Most (61%) participants started conversing around the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic. Their conversations were shared between seeking their seniors’ medical information (52.4%); general information (23.8%), or personal items requests (9.5%). Finally, seven participants tremendously improved their applications manipulation expertise (+1.15-point). Conclusions: Families valued being able to effectively continue socializing over restrictions. VSC in LTCFs is a pertinent socialization avenue.