Artificial Intelligence and Caregiving for Persons With Dementia: A Systematic Review

Almost twelve million American family members provide care for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), providing for their daily physical and psychosocial needs. The burden of caregiving for a family member with dementia may cause overwhelming stress and adversely affect the caregiver’s physical and mental health. Clinicians and researchers alike continue to identify strategies to reduce caregiver burden and keep family caregivers healthy. Artificial intelligence (AI), an emerging and evolving technological method for simulating human learning, reasoning, problem-solving, and decision-making, is being applied to caregiving for persons with ADRD. This systematic review identified current AI use within the context of caregiving for persons with dementia. Applying the PRISMA model, eight databases (AgeLine, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Health Source, SocIndex, Psych & Behavioral Science Collection, and PubMed) were searched from 2004 to 2024. After removing duplicates and studies not meeting inclusion/exclusion criteria, 15 articles underwent thematic analysis. Three categories of AI applications emerged: robotics, communication, and interventions. Although many studies were small-scale, with few study participants, and examined acceptability or feasibility of using AI, our evaluation of the included studies for quality and risk of bias indicated 73% were of high (i.e. low risk of bias) and 27% were of moderate quality (i.e. moderate risk of bias). As knowledge about AI continues to develop, the potential for transforming and improving caregiving for persons with dementia increases exponentially.