Social Support Aid for People with Dementia

描述（由申请人提供）：阿尔茨海默病（AD）是痴呆症的主要原因，该疾病的早期特征是健忘和记忆单词和名字的困难。在美国，阿尔茨海默病是痴呆症的主要原因，也是第六大死因。阿尔茨海默病不是衰老的正常组成部分，但患阿尔茨海默病的风险随着年龄的增长而增加。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，AD患者人数将继续增加，预计到2030年将达到770万，到2050年将达到1100万至1600万。治疗和照顾阿尔茨海默病患者的经济成本是巨大的。老年痴呆症患者的医疗保健和长期护理费用是老年痴呆症患者的三倍。目前还没有有效的治疗方法来减缓或阻止阿尔茨海默病导致的脑细胞死亡。该项目将通过人体实验验证一种面部识别（FR）辅助设备，该设备可以在社交场合支持早期阿尔茨海默病（AD）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、孙子孙女、姻亲和邻居，他们每周或每月与他们互动一次。

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.