Researchers in Ghent are supporting residential care homes to make better use of AI in caring for people with dementia. While there are many AI applications available, they are not yet widely used in practice.
“The question for residential care homes is how they can effectively utilise AI applications in care and alleviate the workload on staff,” says researcher Ruben Vanbosseghem of Artevelde University College. The research team is looking at AI applications that can reduce administrative work, so carers have more time for the care itself.
One example is voice-activated reporting. “This can reduce the burden of record-keeping and thus free up more time for carers to provide care,” says Vanbosseghem. They are also investigating applications that can monitor residents’ surroundings, enabling more targeted care to be provided.
The researchers see benefits in AI applications for both staff and residents, such as smart incontinence products and sensors in their environment. “This means care workers do not always have to disturb residents’ sleep or rest to carry out checks, as monitoring can be done remotely,” he says. “Residents can live more independently and are disturbed less often unnecessarily during rest or sleep periods.”
Several residential care homes in West Flanders, East Flanders and Flemish Brabant are already working with the research team. The researchers are connecting residential care homes with companies offering AI applications, after which testing can take place during a pilot phase.
The Alzheimer’s Research Foundation which is funding the project. The team will work with care organisations in the coming months to test the technology in their own settings and develop a corresponding care model. By the end of the project, homes should have a clear overview of the existing technology and how they can implement it.