Biomedical Engineering Division
As the population ages, we are seeing not only an increase in the number of people with long term medical conditions, but also a growing proportion who face more than one simultaneously.
At a recent event hosted by the Newcastle University Dementia Innovation Hub and co-organised with the Biomedical Engineering Association, the focus was on one particularly common and challenging pairing: how is incontinence best treated and managed when it coexists with dementia, and vice versa?
The speakers (see programme) tackled the topic from a diverse range of clinical and technical perspectives; summarising what is known, highlighting the needs, outlining current research, and suggesting possible ways forward. There then followed a series of lively round-table discussions in which groups were charged with prioritising the needs of various example patients and suggesting possible research approaches to meeting them.
The diversity of the delegates exceeded even that of the speakers, with a rich mix from clinical, academic, industry and consumer backgrounds, and this made for enlightening and thought-provoking exchanges - particularly during the round-table discussions and reporting back - as each rose to the challenge of looking at a familiar topic from multiple unfamiliar perspectives!
By the close of the meeting it was clear that the appetite for continuing the dialogue was strong; other meetings will surely follow, and fruitful collaborations form. Perhaps this meeting could provide a model for exploring other pairs of topics for which the respective communities of stakeholders seldom meet in their regular work, despite the important overlap in their interests.
Helen Meese, the Institution's Head of Healthcare, said: “The Incontinence and Dementia seminar was a hugely valuable and thought-provoking event which brought together experts, carers and patients to discuss an area of personal healthcare that is often misunderstood and still considered taboo. The speakers provided useful insight into the daily challenges which patients with dementia and incontinence face, and highlighted the opportunities for engineers to develop innovative solutions tailored to patient needs. As our population ages, these issues will become ever more important to address. We want to use these events to influence Government policy and I hope this will be the first of many such events.”
Lynne Corner is Deputy Director: Engagement, Newcastle University Institute for Ageing
Alan Cottenden is Professor of Incontinence at University College London and a member of the Biomedical Engineering Association Board
Garth Johnson is Emeritus Professor at the School of Mechanical and Systems Engineering, Newcastle University, a member of the Biomedical Engineering Association Board and Editor in Chief of the Journal of Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies Engineering (RATE)