Researcher(s)
- Brishna Nazari, Computer Science, University of Delaware
Faculty Mentor(s)
- Roghayeh Barmaki, Computer Science, University of Delaware
Abstract
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) affects over 55 million people worldwide, impairing memory, communication, and daily functioning. Providing effective care for individuals with AD requires personalized, reliable, and easily accessible support that traditional caregiving approaches often fail to meet. We present the Alzheimer Care Agent (ACA), an AI-powered avatar designed to deliver intelligent and compassionate assistance to individuals with AD. ACA is integrated with a comprehensive Alzheimer’s knowledge base containing 60,000 research papers and over 3,000 curated articles. It can answer health-related questions, offer emotional support, provide appointment reminders, assist with daily routines, and respond to location-based queries. A key feature of ACA is its ability to learn and adapt to each individual’s history, habits, and preferences, enabling increasingly personalized interactions over time. Unlike conventional voice assistants, ACA leverages user-specific context to provide tailored responses. We expect ACA to improve daily functioning and emotional well-being for individuals with Alzheimer’s by providing personalized, adaptive support, while also reducing caregiver burden through routine assistance and easy access to reliable information. Our goal is to create a smart, empathetic support system that enhances the quality of life and independence of individuals living with Alzheimer’s.