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Dr Sara Bartels
Name:
Dr Sara Laureen Bartels
Job title:
Postdoctoral researcher
Place of work / study:
Maastricht University, Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, School of Mental Health and Neuroscience and Alzheimer Centre Limburg (20%); Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Division of Psychology (80%)
Area of Research:
Development, evaluation and implementation of psychosocial interventions for people with complex health issues, including people with cognitive problems, caregivers of people with dementia and individuals with chronic pain.
How is your work funded?
Through the University.
Tell us a little about yourself:
I am originally from Germany and worked/ lived also in the Netherlands and the UK, before I moved to Sweden in 2019. I am passionate about understanding daily challenges of people with complex health issues and improving access to personalised care through digital innovations. Working in multi-disciplinary, inter-sectorial, international teams and learning from other stakeholders, including patients, health care professionals, or policy makers, is very interesting and enjoyable to me.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself:
I love board games such as “Mansions of Madness” and meet every Wednesday with my Dungeons & Dragons group (I play a strong but pretty naïve Dust Orc; currently level 8).
Why did you choose to work in dementia?
My grandfather had Alzheimer’s and I saw how difficult it was for my grandmother and dad to deal with him changing through the condition. However, the little moments in the care home when he cried because he was so happy to see us showed me that he experienced happiness and enjoyment and that it is not all about “suffering” and dying, as unfortunately most people still think. I wanted to learn more about the condition and how the family and person him/herself can be supported on their dementia journey. That’s why I became a dementia researcher.
