JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The dementia epidemic is progressing fast. As the world’s aging population keeps skyrocketing, the traditional incompetent, time-consuming, and laborious interventions are becoming increasingly insufficient to address dementia patients’ healthcare needs. This is particularly true amid coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Instead, efficient, cost-effective, and technology-based strategies, such as 6G and AI-empowered health solutions, might be the key to successfully managing the dementia epidemic until a cure becomes available. However, while 6G and AI technologies hold great promise, no research has examined how 6G and AI applications can effectively and efficiently address dementia patients’ healthcare needs and improve their quality of life.

Objective:

Thus, to address the research gap, this study aims to investigate ways in which 6G and AI technologies could elevate dementia care.

Methods:

Using PubMed and Medline as the databases, a literature review was conducted to identify relevant research on the use of 6G and AI in the context of dementia care and management.

Results:

Based on the findings, we proposed a new healthcare paradigm—smart community as the intervention—as a possible application of 6G and AI technologies in addressing dementia patients’ healthcare needs and preferences. Considering the scope and scale of dementia care, 6G and AI-enabled smart communities—hyper-interconnected, intelligent, and sustainable environments that are capable to provide high technology integration, 24/7, personalized, as well as timely and quality care to dementia patients cost-effectively—could be an instrumental building block in controlling and containing the dementia epidemic.

Conclusions:

With the promises of 6G and AI technologies, along with the symbiotic relationship forged between 6G, AI, and Internet of Things/Everything, technology-empowered integrated interventions like smart communities could become increasingly more advantageous, appropriate, and affordable to address dementia patients’ healthcare needs and improve their quality of life. In this paper, we detailed two areas where smart communities can benefit from 6G and AI technologies: health monitoring systems and social robots. Future research could explore additional 6G and AI applications to further advance dementia care and management, and in turn, curb the dementia epidemic, as the world starting to ease out of COVID.