Table 1 Student reflections’ themes and subthemes

 • Appreciation of person’s life experience and knowledge.

“He may not remember present details, but his memory of poetry and music is astounding.”

 • Ability to still enjoy life, resiliency.

“She was an artist. All around her apartment was her artwork—evidence that she was a living, breathing, and experiencing individual. It was amazing to think that despite the toll that Alzheimer’s was taking on her word-retrieval abilities and other aspects of her memory, her ability to imagine and create beautiful images on a canvas was left intact.”

 • Challenging behaviors

“It’s fascinating (and heartbreaking) that there can be such dramatic ups and downs.”

 • Need for social interaction.

“She is one of the friendliest people I have met,. .. based on a few bad experiences with some people since she found out about her dementia, she’s become less sure of gatherings with strangers. One of her closest friends no longer talks to her and that has made a significant impact on her.”

 • Need for control and validation, stigma

“…it makes her feel like her disease makes people think she is completely incapable of living independently. She understands that she does forget things, but that doesn’t mean that she is completely incapacitated. These incidents have been frustrating her because she currently still feels capable of doing a lot of things”

 • Isolation, burden

“I recall the exhaustion and sense of exasperation in his wife’s answers. X, however, seemed to be cheery with a happy go lucky attitude. This contrast particularly struck me because it can be easy to just focus solely on the person with dementia, but it’s just as important to the person’s well-being that the people supporting them are considered too.”

 • Coping mechanisms

“He would be overly cautious with her and it makes her feel more incapable than she feels.”.

 • Need for education, support, validation

“She mentioned that he has been going to caregiver-only support groups and how that has aggravated the situation since the other caregivers in the group have loved ones that are further along in the disease. She said that it has made him more paranoid about her situation and she found that he comes back from the meetings unhappy/worried.”

 • Frustration, disappointment, anxiety

“It helped me understand how frustrated family members and friends of people with dementia can get, Overcoming that frustration was a very important learning experience.”

 • Sadness

“He continued by saying something felt wrong that he had to figure out. Hearing him say this filled me sadness.”

 • Satisfaction and joy

“He then shared how much he enjoyed spending time with me. This made me feel appreciated. I remember thinking and hoping that he knew how much I appreciated spending time with him.”

 • Acceptance

“Even when she isn’t making sense, she is still this lovely, funny, happy person who is a joy to be around.”

 • Reinforced desire to become a doctor

“He reminded me why I am pursuing medicine-to be able to touch the life of another person in a tangible, meaningful way. But medicine is not a one-way street-…practicing medicine also means allowing the other person to touch you…”

 • Doctors must validate strengths rather than weaknesses.

“Only by encouraging a grateful attitude and emphasizing life rather than death can we, as future physicians, ensure the best quality of life for individuals with dementia.”

 • Doctors must be good listeners, be tactful, and be sensitive

“…medicine is truly the art of human connections… being sensitive to my patient means being aware of their emotional reactions and incorporating their experience into the type of care I will give”.

 • Importance of relationships

“I don’t think I realized how much our relationship benefits both of us. While I may provide some youthful energy, he imparts his priceless wisdom and steadfast encouragement.”

 • Importance of being in the moment

“Humor is ultimately another way of making life in the present more livable. Yes, life doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. But being happy in the moment and cherishing the good days is the only way to live.”

 • Spend more time with family and friends

“Spending time with him has given me more confidence in my ability to interact with patients, it has also made me appreciate the relationships I have with my family.”