Advancing dementia Healthcare through natural language processing applications

Author

Mudzengerere, Robert C.

Title

Advancing dementia Healthcare through natural language processing applications

Abstract

Dementia is a growing public health concern, with a significant impact on individuals, caregivers, and healthcare systems. As the global population ages, the need for effective and personalized dementia care becomes increasingly pressing. Natural language processing (NLP) presents a promising opportunity to address some of the key challenges in dementia healthcare, such as improving emotional recognition, supporting communication, and coordinating care across diverse settings. This research explores the application of NLP in dementia healthcare, focusing on the development and implementation of a chatbot designed to support dementia patients and their caregivers to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with dementia, particularly those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. This research aims to create a Chatbot that engages dementia patients in cognitive exercises, provides caregivers with timely reminders and educational content, and collects real-time data for researchers.
The study concludes that NLP applications offer substantial benefits for dementia care by enhancing cognitive and emotional outcomes for patients and reducing caregiver burden. High user satisfaction and engagement underscore the feasibility of integrating these technologies into routine dementia care. The research suggests promising directions for future studies, including long-term impact assessments, further customization of applications, and exploration of their effectiveness across diverse populations. These findings highlight the transformative potential of NLP applications to improve the quality of life for dementia patients and their caregivers through innovative technological interventions

Date

June 2024

Publisher

BUSE

Keywords

Dementia,

Natural language processing (NLP),

Chatbot,

Supervisor

Mr. Chikwiriro,