Multi-million pound centre for dementia research opened

A multi-million pound centre for research into the use of technology to improve dementia care has been officially opened.

The UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Centre brings together scientists from a range of backgrounds, including medicine, engineering, computer science and synthetic biology to develop a range of ‘smart’ technologies – from artificial intelligence to sleep monitoring – to enable people affected by dementia to live safety and independently in their own homes as long as possible.

Around 900,000 people in the UK have dementia, of which over 60% are living in the community. According to a report by Alzheimer’s Society, 85% of people would choose to live at home for as long as possible if they were diagnosed with dementia.

The centre is based within the brand-new Sir Michael Uren Hub at Imperial College London’s White City campus and the University of Surrey, with clinical monitoring led from Surrey & Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

The centre was officially opened by Gillian Keegan, Minister of State for Care and Mental Health, at a launch event taking place on Wednesday afternoon, where the minister joined participants in the research to unveil a plaque commemorating the event.

Minister for Care and Mental Health Gillian Keegan said: ‘Dementia is a top priority and we will publish a 10-Year plan later this year that will focus on how new medicines and emerging science and technology can be harnessed – alongside diagnosis, risk reduction and prevention – to improve outcomes for people with dementia.

‘I have seen first-hand how difficult dementia can be on those living with it and their loved ones, which is why it’s vital they get the right support they need at the right time. The Care and Research and Technology Centre is already leading the way in pioneering work – developing innovative technology to help people affected by dementia live safely and independently in their own homes and is a brilliant example of the investment the government is putting into dementia research.’

The Care Research & Technology Centre is one of seven national centres that collectively make up the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI), and is funded by the Medical Research Council, Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK.

The technology currently being developed and evaluated for use in dementia care includes:

• An intelligent digital platform (“Minder”) that links information and uses machine learning to identify health risks and social care needs
• Activity sensors that record information in the background. For example, motion and activity sensors that monitor a person’s movement around the home
• Under-mattress technology to monitor sleep quality, breathing and vital signs
• Home diagnostics using advanced biological methods to identify urinary tract infections (UTIs)
• Home radar to measure movement and vital signs unobtrusively to identify the effects of dementia on behaviour, changes in sleep patterns and falls
• Conversational agents, building on existing technologies such as Amazon’s Alexa, to support home activities

Professor David Sharp, Centre Director at the UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research & Technology Centre at Imperial College London, said: ‘We are thrilled to be officially underway with this research, taking a positive step towards a future where people living with dementia are well supported in their own homes. Historically, people have often received very little support at home which leads to preventable problems. Latest figures suggest one in four hospital beds are occupied by people with dementia – and 20% of these admissions are due to avoidable causes such as falls, dehydration and infections.

‘We are already seeing benefits of the technology we have developed on the lives of the people trialling it in their homes, helping them to feel safe, and supporting them to remain in their own homes. The new technologies allow us to intervene at an early stage when needed, to prevent the crises that so often lead to hospital stays, or a move to a care home.’

Photo supplied by DHSC