Detecting UTIs Early in Dementia
Sat Feb 07 2026
In this episode of the Dementia Researcher podcast, host Adam Smith chats with with Professor Paul Freemont and researcher Tom Adam from the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London to discuss the critical issue of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in individuals living with dementia.
The conversation highlights the complexities of diagnosing UTIs in people living with dementia, where communication barriers and atypical presentations often lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary hospitalisations. The guests emphasise the urgent need for improved detection methods, as UTIs can exacerbate cognitive decline and lead to severe health complications. They talk about their work to develop and introduce an innovative novel point-of-care diagnostic device designed specifically for dementia patients, which aims to facilitate early detection of UTIs in a home and care home setting, thereby reducing the reliance on traditional symptom reporting and hospital visits.
Key takeaways:
🔹UTIs are a major cause of hospital admission and sudden decline in people living with dementia.
🔹Diagnosing UTIs is harder in dementia because symptoms are often not recognised or communicated.
🔹Current testing methods can be slow and sometimes lead to overuse of antibiotics.
🔹New home based rapid testing technology aims to detect infections earlier and closer to where care happens.
🔹Earlier detection could reduce hospital stays and improve quality of life.
🔹Future monitoring of urine biomarkers could help predict infections before symptoms appear.
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A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction to UTIs in Dementia
04:15 The Seriousness of UTIs in Dementia
18:31 Innovative Approaches to UTI Detection
22:00 Engineering a Diagnostic Device for Home Use
27:04 Innovative UTI Detection Technology
29:41 The Vision for Home Testing
31:40 Personal Motivations Behind the Research
34:40 Understanding the Urinary Microbiome
37:53 Designing the UTI Detection Device
44:20 Testing in Clinical Environments
50:57 Barriers to Market Entry
54:03 Community Awareness and Support
58:46 Outro
More
In this episode of the Dementia Researcher podcast, host Adam Smith chats with with Professor Paul Freemont and researcher Tom Adam from the UK Dementia Research Institute at Imperial College London to discuss the critical issue of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in individuals living with dementia. The conversation highlights the complexities of diagnosing UTIs in people living with dementia, where communication barriers and atypical presentations often lead to misdiagnosis and unnecessary hospitalisations. The guests emphasise the urgent need for improved detection methods, as UTIs can exacerbate cognitive decline and lead to severe health complications. They talk about their work to develop and introduce an innovative novel point-of-care diagnostic device designed specifically for dementia patients, which aims to facilitate early detection of UTIs in a home and care home setting, thereby reducing the reliance on traditional symptom reporting and hospital visits. Key takeaways: 🔹UTIs are a major cause of hospital admission and sudden decline in people living with dementia. 🔹Diagnosing UTIs is harder in dementia because symptoms are often not recognised or communicated. 🔹Current testing methods can be slow and sometimes lead to overuse of antibiotics. 🔹New home based rapid testing technology aims to detect infections earlier and closer to where care happens. 🔹Earlier detection could reduce hospital stays and improve quality of life. 🔹Future monitoring of urine biomarkers could help predict infections before symptoms appear. -- A transcript of this show, links and show notes and profile on all our guests are available on our website at https://www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk -- Follow us on social media: https://www.instagram.com/dementia_researcher/ https://www.facebook.com/Dementia.Researcher/ https://www.twitter.com/demrescommunity https://www.linkedin.com/company/dementia-researcher https://www.bsky.app/profile/dementiare…archer.bsky.social -- Download and Register with our Community App: https://www.onelink.to/dementiaresearcher Chapters 00:00 Introduction to UTIs in Dementia 04:15 The Seriousness of UTIs in Dementia 18:31 Innovative Approaches to UTI Detection 22:00 Engineering a Diagnostic Device for Home Use 27:04 Innovative UTI Detection Technology 29:41 The Vision for Home Testing 31:40 Personal Motivations Behind the Research 34:40 Understanding the Urinary Microbiome 37:53 Designing the UTI Detection Device 44:20 Testing in Clinical Environments 50:57 Barriers to Market Entry 54:03 Community Awareness and Support 58:46 Outro