Who is : tecnologia assistiva de reconhecimento facial para auxiliar no tratamento de pacientes com alzheimer

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is a neurodegenerative condition that affects behavior, memory, and cognition in individuals. Over time, patients require constant care in various aspects of their lives. Due to the gradual loss of memory, individuals with Alzheimer may fail to recognize some people in their social circle, a symptom known as prosopagnosia. As this disease impairs the performance of daily activities, numerous assistive technologies are implemented to facilitate these tasks in the patient’s environment. With the advance of technology, there has been a rise in healthcare-related smartphone applications. The software market in this area is rapidly expanding due to the widespread use of smartphones across different social classes and demographics. Consequently, mobile applications (apps) have become increasingly useful for engaging patients in their treatments, particularly those requiring specialized care. Existing apps for individuals with Alzheimer’s primarily focus on cognitive games aimed at cognitive rehabilitation. Consequently, there is a need to develop a facial recognition app that can assist in the treatment of individuals with Alzheimer, offering a fresh perspective in the mobile app market, as few apps currently emphasize facial recognition functionality. This work proposes a facial recognition app to aid in the treatment of individuals with Alzheimer, targeting caregivers as the primary user group. To achieve this, an assistive technology app was developed using React Native and Firebase, incorporating Facial Recognition using the Microsoft Azure Facial Detection API. The objective is to support the treatment of patients with Alzheimer and to be used by caregivers. To validate the proposed app’s results, a validation study was conducted with caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer in the city of Quixadá, CE. The obtained results indicate that the app can be used in the daily care of individuals with Alzheimer.