Social Support Aid for People with Dementia

描述(申请人提供)：阿尔茨海默病(AD)是导致痴呆症的主要原因，该病的早期特征是健忘和记忆单词和名字的困难。在美国，AD是导致痴呆症的首要原因，也是导致死亡的第六大原因。AD不是衰老的正常部分，但随着年龄的增长，患AD的风险会增加。据估计，2009年有530万美国人患有阿尔茨海默病。随着人口老龄化，阿尔茨海默病患者的数量将继续增加，2030年估计为770万人，2050年为1100万至1600万人。治疗和照顾阿尔茨海默病患者的经济成本是巨大的。对于阿尔茨海默病或痴呆症患者来说，医疗保健和长期护理服务的费用是前者的三倍。目前还没有可用的治疗方法来减缓或阻止阿尔茨海默病引起的脑细胞死亡。该项目将通过人类受试者测试来验证一种人脸识别(FR)辅助工具，该辅助工具可以在社交环境中支持阿尔茨海默病(AD)早期患者。典型的用户是患有早期AD的人，他们希望与大量的家人和朋友进行社交互动。这样的人可能有几个孩子、孙子、姻亲和邻居，他们每周或每月都会与他们互动。 与公共卫生相关：AD是一种进行性疾病，通常始于健忘]。在AD的早期阶段，人们可能难以记住最近发生的事件或熟悉的人或事的名字。随着疾病的发展到中期，记忆力丧失和神志不清的情况会增加，人们甚至可能难以识别家人。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia and the early stage of the disease is characterized by forgetfulness and trouble with remembering words and names. AD is the leading cause of dementia and the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. AD is not a normal part of aging, but the risk of developing AD increases with age. It is estimated that in 2009, 5.3 million Americans have AD. As the population ages, the number of people with AD will continue to increase to an estimated 7.7 million in 2030 and 11 to 16 million in 2050. The economic costs of treating and caring for people with AD are substantial. Healthcare and long-term care services cost three times as much for individuals with AD or dementia. There are no treatments available to slow or stop brain cell death from AD. This project will validate a face recognition (FR) aid that supports people in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in social situations via human subject testing. Typical users are people with an early stage of AD who desire social interaction with a large number of family members and friends. Such people may have several children, grandchildren, in-laws, and neighbors with whom they interact on a weekly or monthly basis. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: AD is a progressive disease that often begins with forgetfulness]. In the early stages of AD people may have trouble remembering recent events or the names of familiar people or things. As the disease progresses to middle stage, memory loss and confusion increase and people may have difficulty even recognizing family members.