Transforming Aging and Dementia Care with Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is emerging fast in the care of the elderly and demented patients; valuable technologies are being developed to track cognitive health decline in the elderly. With the increased average life span of the global citizen, the demand for early detection and differential management of cognitive impairment has risen. Applications like machine learning and NLP, as well as computer vision, are being used to track cognitive ability and diagnose conditions like dementia – early-stage Alzheimer’s included. These AI-based systems use large amount of data like medical records and neuroimages or behavior of a patient, to understand things like changes in cognition that might not be otherwise detected. Also, AI can provide the development of individual programs of assistance for those patients who need it, which can increase the quality of patient’s life and decrease the load on carers. This paper seeks to understand how artificial intelligence may assist in the management of cognitive health and early identification of dementia in elderly people as well as possible care plans applicable to such persons.