We are a group of two psychology students and two psychology graduates from the University of Liverpool. In July 2024, we all began research internships with dementia researchers at the University of Liverpool and at the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration North West Coast – Clarissa Giebel, Megan Polden, and Megan Readman. There were many incentives to doing this internship; we were inspired to apply for the internship due to our shared interest in psychology, aspirations to further develop our research skills, and our personal experiences of dementia.

What have we learnt?
Despite learning about dementia at university, it stunned us how little we knew about dementia inequalities. We were able to learn about the inequalities that impact the care journeys of people living with dementia and their caregivers when listening to talks from experts in the field, and also from our own systematic reviews. Also, we found that playing the dementia inequalities game was a fun and creative way of learning more about these inequalities.

Our projects
Between us, we conducted three systematic reviews regarding dementia inequalities. Abigail and Annabel worked together on a review regarding geographical inequalities in dementia diagnosis and care. Imogen’s review studied hearing loss as a risk factor for dementia from a global perspective. Finally, Tahlia’s review studied barriers and facilitators to accessing non-pharmacological arts-based interventions for people with dementia.

For each systematic review, we have completed thorough screening processes, created detailed data extraction tables, carried out quality assessments, and started writing the methods and findings sections. The majority of this has been new to all of us so we have been learning along the way!

As well as this we have also collaborated on a poster that the four of us will present at the 6th annual Liverpool Dementia & Ageing Research Conference. The poster showcases our experiences throughout the internship and provides information into the systematic reviews we’ve been working on. We have enjoyed the creative process involved in designing the poster and refining its content, while also developing new skills along the way! We’re excited about the opportunity to present our work and engage with others who share an interest in dementia research, where we can share our internship experience and answer any questions.

Favourite part of the internship?
Over the last few months, we have loved attending events such as Liverpool Dementia & Aging regional networking meeting and the Equadem networking events. At these events, we have heard fascinating talks from many unpaid carers, health and social care professionals and researchers. For instance, a particular talk we found interesting, regarded inequalities in accessing dementia diagnoses in South Asian communities and future plans for improving support for people with dementia. It has been interesting to listen to the experienced researchers and the valuable contributions from people in these talks’ audience.

Moving forward
This internship has been an incredible learning experience, giving us skills that we can take into all kinds of careers. While we had experience with quantitative and qualitative research from university, none of us had done a systematic review before, so that was a whole new challenge. Beyond strengthening our research abilities, we’ve deepened our understanding of the complex inequalities surrounding dementia by collaborating with researchers and hearing the powerful insights of those with lived experience in dementia care. Hearing their stories and insights really brought the issues to life in a way that the data alone can’t. These experiences have not only developed our research skills but also helped us develop a more empathetic approach to the work we do.

Abigail, Annabel, Imogen and Tahlia