Being admitted to hospital can be a frightening and confusing time for the elderly, especially if they suffer from dementia-related illnesses.

There is also the double-whammy of elderly patients taking up beds in hospitals which are already massively stretched for space, when they could perhaps be treated elsewhere - even at home.

Now the University of Bradford is to be part of a pioneering new research programme which is looking at reducing the numbers of older people who are needlessly admitted to hospital because no-one quite knows what to do with them.

This is something the Telegraph & Argus has highlighted many times with our With Respect campaign, which calls on older people to be treated with more dignity wherever they are.

The £1 million study aims to draw up new guidance for nursing homes in the two pilot areas of Bradford and London, so that the frail and vulnerable might be better treated in their residences rather than being put through the trauma of attending hospital.

If successful, the pilot scheme will lead to new national guidelines that could revolutionise the way we look after our elderly and treat them for dementia-related illnesses.

Anything that reduces needless upset and hospital visits for the vulnerable is to be welcomed, and it is especially exciting that this new research is not only being carried out at the University of Bradford, but also that Bradford is a pilot area.

Real positive effects might well emerge from this study and it will be a feather in the cap of Bradford if we are at the forefront of something that brings relief to a great many people.