Range of innovative projects receive new funding to support efforts to harness technology to improve quality of life
Two lots of funding have been announced at the World Dementia Council Summit to support a range of research projects into the ways tech can improve quality of life for the 1m people living with dementia in the UK.
Photo by Maximalfocus / Unsplash
First, there’s £6m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), working in partnership with leading charity the Alzheimer’s Society.
The money will go to four new networks, each led by pioneering teams of researchers, developers and other professionals, who will work with the NHS, charities and local authorities, as well as alongside people living with dementia and their carers. The four networks are:
- Dr Jennifer MacRitchie at the University of Sheffield will lead a network to develop adaptive technologies that evolve with the changing needs of individuals and their families
- Professor Alan Gow at Heriot-Watt University will lead a team looking at how tech can support the social, mental and physical capacities of people living with dementia
- Professor Arlene Astell at Northumbria University will lead a network to set up a tech hub to provide advice and device sharing across the North East and North Cumbria integrated care system
- Professor David Sharp at Imperial College London and UK Dementia Research Institute, Care Research and Technology Centre, will look at developing sustainable, low-burden technologies to advance independent living for people with dementia and support their families and carers
Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of EPSRC, says: ‘These networks will bring together a wealth of expertise from across academia, healthcare, charities and, crucially, people with lived experience to find solutions that will lead to healthier and more fulfilling lives for those affected by dementia.’
In addition, Innovate UK is providing up to £2m in additional funding to support the development of a digital tool that can use blood tests to identify the onset of diseases that can lead to dementia. The REAI world Dementia OUTcomes (READ-OUT) digital cognitive assessment will be led by researchers at Dementias Platform UK researchers – from the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge and Imperial College London.
The project is also supported by ARUK, the Alzheimer’s Society, Gates Ventures, NIHR and the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Professor Vanessa Raymont at Dementias Platform UK, heading the READ-OUT team, says: ‘This add-on initiative to the READ-OUT study is a tremendous opportunity to assess the benefit of using a quick digital cognitive test alongside the panel of blood biomarkers we are identifying for Alzheimer’s and other diseases that can cause dementia.
‘This is especially exciting given READ-OUT is keen to recruit people via Dementias Platform UK’s nationwide network that have other health problems and from ethnic groups that we haven’t been able to involve in research before. This approach will allow us to understand if such a combination of tests could be helpful and cost effective to roll out across NHS memory clinics and beyond.’
Of the funding overall, Karin Smyth MP, Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care), adds: ‘Dementia is a cruel and heart breaking disease, not only for those living with it, but for the families and friends who often watch their loved one become a shadow of the person they once were. Backing these groundbreaking technologies won’t just help people with dementia, it’ll transform their lives, giving people the freedom to stay in their own homes, around the people they love.
‘Moving care out of hospitals and into communities isn’t just smart healthcare, it’s about giving people independence. Britain will be at the forefront of dementia innovation, backing cutting-edge research and rolling out life-changing technologies that deliver real results for patients and families. This is exactly the bold thinking we need at the heart of our Plan for Change.’
Professor Fiona Carragher, Chief Policy and Research Officer at the Alzheimer’s Society, adds: ‘One in three people born today will develop dementia in their lifetime. Research will beat dementia, and innovative networks like these will play an important part in helping people living with dementia today, and in the future, live independently for longer.
‘As well as exploring ways to make daily life easier, and helping people with dementia feel more connected, they have the potential to ease pressure on the NHS. This could improve care for everyone as more people with dementia will be able to remain independent and cared for in the community for longer.
‘As technology develops at pace, it’s critical we harness it, using AI, digital health, and community support to create simple, effective solutions. We’re excited to see what the future holds.’
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