Let's Talk Podcast with Martha Pollard

When we are struggling with our mental health, often we will feel as if no one else is feeling as we are. It can be a huge relief to discover that you are not alone in these struggles. The Let's Talk podcast is a new series hosted by our Chaplain, Harriet Harris, bringing together different members of the University community to have honest and thought-provoking conversations about a range of mental health topics.

This episode features Martha Pollard, a PhD student the School working with ECRED on Alzheimer and Dementia Research. Martha tells us about the challenges of lockdown for those living with dementia and for their carers, especially now that they are unable to get the company and respite of meeting in groups, or of receiving specialist care in their homes.

Martha also talks about the interruption that lockdown brings to her doctoral research, now that she cannot access dementia wards. We don’t hear much about research being interrupted by lockdown, but this is the case for many people doing field research, lab work, or reliant on library collections. Nonetheless, Martha is finding that the confinement is leading to discoveries of new ways of working, and so brings with it a new kind of freedom.