Tools that detect dementia are increasingly valuable to the senior living community, and new technologies are turbocharging the development of these tools. At Columbia University’s School of Nursing, one researcher is creating an artificial intelligence method that screens seniors for dementia by analyzing their voices.
The National Institute on Aging awarded Columbia researcher Dr. Maryam Zolnoori $1.2 million to develop and evaluate her speech processing algorithm, which uses AI to identify mild cognitive impairment and early dementia (MCI-ED). It does so by analyzing audio recordings of patients’ conversations with nurses in home health care settings. The tool lets nursing home administrators and healthcare professionals screen for dementia quickly and inexpensively.
The AI-based tool recognizes biomarkers for cognitive function in a patient’s speech, voice and word choice, including differences in voice tone. People with MCI have less “brightness” or clarity in their voices because they’re losing control of their vocal chords, and long silent pauses can also indicate memory loss, Zolnoori explains.
Compared to methods already in the marketplace such as brain scans or cerebrospinal fluid analysis, the AI algorithm is easier and more practical to use, Zolnoori says. Current cognitive assessments can take clinicians up to 20 minutes to complete and require additional training, while Zolnoori’s screen would use recordings made in the normal course of care.
“We don’t interrupt you, we don’t ask you to use any specific tool that takes your time,” Zolnoori says. “We just record your conversation and then we will tell you whether this patient has cognitive impairment or not.”
With staffing shortages still plaguing the long-term care industry, added efficiencies created by such technology would surely make a difference, observers believe.
Nearly one in five people 60 and older in the U.S. are living with MCI, and 10-to-15% of people with MCI will develop Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia within a year, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Identifying patients with dementia earlier and faster with AI tools can help slow Alzheimer’s progression and keep them safe.
