Student Perspective | Sonal Samtani | PhD

My research explored the population of people with dementia using therapeutic services in a smaller country and can be adopted to other similar countries to help them to understand and explore their population with dementia, their services as well as to identify gaps in their systems.
7th October 2022
Sonal Samtani, recently completed their PhD exploring the sustainability of dementia care and the impact of therapeutic services for people with dementia in terms of their cognition, function and quality of life.

Why did you choose Gibraltar?

Being originally from Gibraltar, I chose the University of Gibraltar because it would be both rewarding and familiar. I knew how the healthcare system worked and the avenues of research I wanted to explore with the experience I already had in my job.

What is special about doing your PhD here?

Gibraltar is a beautifully cozy location for a PhD, you don’t feel as lonely in your research as you are constantly surrounded by friends and colleagues in a similar position. The university is in a convenient location, and university staff are easily accessible and approachable when you need to talk to them.

What would you say to someone else who might be considering a PhD with us?

Although the university is relatively small, it does compensate in terms of being more personal and offering student advice and support. I always felt that I could speak to someone about every obstacle that came my way and although two of my supervisors were in Edinburgh, there were occasions where they would come to Gibraltar so that we could meet in person and overcome challenging parts of the research together.

Describe your PhD project:

My research explored the sustainability of dementia care and the impact of therapeutic services for people with dementia in terms of their cognition, function and quality of life.

What type of research has it involved and what skills have you learned/will you be learning?

This research was a mixed methods project and so it involved both qualitative data collection and analysis using interviews and thematic analysis, as well as quantitative data collection and analysis using surveys and psychometric scales, descriptive and inferential statistics.

Why should the public know about this topic?

Ageing affects us all and it is also a large risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. By having more information and data on the most useful therapeutic interventions we can not only help people with dementia maintain their independence and remain in the community for longer, but also learn where to best focus our healthcare resources, emphasise early diagnosis and form a plan after a diagnosis.

What will be the wider impact of your research? How has your research impacted on both a local and a wider scale?

My research explored the population of people with dementia using therapeutic services in a smaller country and can be adopted to other similar countries to help them to understand and explore their population with dementia, their services as well as to identify gaps in their systems.

Do you have any future plans that will follow from this research?

I hope to teach about Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia to healthcare programs at the University, as well as teach mixed methods research as this was not a common research design when I was undertaking my study and could be useful for new students.

New/Future publications to expect?

Upcoming publications include the literature review from my thesis and the results of the study.
  • Research
    PhD

    PhD by Research

    Our PhD by research programme is based on independent study, guided by your assigned supervisors and support system. It typically takes a minimum of three years to complete full-time, or a minimum of five years when studied part-time.[...]

    FT 3 to 5 Years/ PT 4 to 8 Years

    No Placement option

    Full/Part Time

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