What AI Means for Alzheimer's Care

Nicole Werner is an associate professor in the Indiana University School of Public Health.
Werner claims caregivers of people living with dementias such as Alzheimer’s disease have a challenging role, and they are not well supported. This is associated with negative health outcomes for the caregiver and for the person living with dementia. One of the big challenges caregivers face is that caring for a person with dementia happens over a long period of time, sometimes upwards of ten years or more as the disease progresses. What that means is that the needs of the person with dementia and the role of the caregiver will change considerably as the disease takes its course.
Her lab is creating user centered technologies for family caregivers of people with dementia that get them the help they need when they need it. To do that, Werner’s lab has partnered with Care Virtue. They are designing multiple technologies that use AI innovations. Examples include personalized support for financial and legal planning, an AI enabled platform used to activate the caregiving network around the person living with dementia, and AI tools to predict when a caregiver needs an intervention so they can get the help they need when they need it.
Werner believes AI enabled care interventions are the future. As of yet the needs of caregivers have not been met in a holistic way, which has led to persistent and pervasive unmet needs and challenges for caregivers. AI and the ability to predict and meet those needs over an extended period of time is the future of helping caregivers.