Detecting UTIs Early in Dementia
From Dementia Researcher Vodcast by Dementia Researcher
February 6, 2026 · 59 min · Episode 329
About this episode
The episode discusses the challenges of diagnosing urinary tract infections in dementia patients and introduces a novel diagnostic device aimed at improving early detection.
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. 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 . If you prefer to watch rather than listen, you will find a video…
People in this episode
Guests: Tom Adam, Professor Paul Freemont
Topics covered
- urinary tract infections
- dementia
- diagnosis
- health complications
- point-of-care diagnostics
Keywords
- UTIs
- cognitive decline
- healthcare
- dementia research
Mentioned in this episode
Products: novel point-of-care diagnostic device
Books & works: Dementia Researcher, Dementia Researcher The Blogs
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