Beneficial effect of artificial intelligence care call on memory and depression in community dwelling individuals with dementia

Abstract

Traditional dementia-prevention programs have limited accessibility and lack continuous monitoring, making sustained cognitive and emotional support challenging. This study evaluated the effects of artificial intelligence (AI) care calls on the cognitive function and depression of community-dwelling individuals. Eighty participants with dementia received AI care calls twice weekly from April 23 to November 28, 2024, with 63 calls per participant. The AI care call provided emotional support and cognitive engagement. Cognitive function (attention, memory, and language) and geriatric depression scale (GDS) scores were assessed before and after the intervention. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the pre- and post-intervention scores. General linear models were used to examine the effects of age, sex, and education on changes in clinical measures while controlling for baseline clinical scores. After the AI care call intervention, GDS scores decreased significantly, while memory scores increased significantly. An interaction effect between age and sex was observed in attention and memory score changes, with females showing greater memory improvement and maintenance of attention scores, whereas males experienced a decline in attention scores with no significant change in memory. Additionally, an interaction effect between age and education was observed in the GDS and attention score changes, suggesting that higher education was associated with a protective effect against the worsening of these symptoms following the AI care call intervention. AI care calls may help reduce depression and improve memory function in community-dwelling individuals. The differential effects of sex and education suggest that these factors affect the effectiveness of interventions.