A smart secure virtual reality immersive application for alzheimer's and dementia patients.

Journal: Scientific reports
Published Date:

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses significant challenges for the elderly, leading to cognitive decline, social isolation, and lower quality of life. Current interventions often require cumbersome wearable devices e.g. the camera-based monitoring that may raise privacy concerns. However, these issues are not fully addressed previously. To fill this gap, this research proposes a new framework in non-invasive combination of Virtual Reality (VR), Voice recognition, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to act as a supportive system for people with AD. The system provides a brand-new approach that tailored cognitive stimulation and companionship through the immersive VR scenarios, memory games, virtual trips, and an AI assistant together as a single platform. The AI-based assessment of the patient is employed to ensure that the experience is more relevant and helpful to the patient. The voice recognition is the most simple and easy user-interface. The security measures include access controls, encryption and continuous monitoring of cloud patient data. The initial study has been promising evidenced by the outcome of involving patients with Alzheimer's and dementia, their families, and clinicians. Participants reported heightened interest, better quality of life, less sense of isolation, and improved cognitive functioning, which have particularly achieved one of our goals, in patients' well-beings in mental healthcare. The research indicates a significant step forward enhancing the quality of support for both cognitive function and social interaction for older adults with AD and dementia. In comparison with other currently existing systems, our newly developed integrated framework has made additional contributions to the areas of AD in dynamic cognitive adaptation, bilingual interaction, and secure real-time personalized system.

Authors

  • Murad Al-Rajab
    University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, United Kingdom . Electronic address: u1174101@hud.ac.uk.
  • Joan Lu
    University of Huddersfield, Queensgate, Huddersfield, United Kingdom . Electronic address: j.lu@husd.ac.uk.
  • Saad Amawi
    Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Nourhan Elmehalawy
    Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Bdour Babillie
    Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Yazan Alasmi
    Abu Dhabi University, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Hanan Sheikh Ibrahim
    Cleveland Clinic Hospital Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Samer Ellahham
    Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Al Falah St, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
  • Ahlam Sawsaa
    Bradford Institution for Health Research, Bradford, UK.
  • Shadi Al Zraiqat
    Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi, UAE.