Mealtimes made easier through AI dementia study

Artificial intelligence research that aims to support dementia patients with enjoying meal times is being conducted by The University of Queensland and University of the Sunshine Coast.

The research program, ‘What Would You Like to Eat? Supporting Residents with Dementia to Participate in Mealtime Decisions’, is taking place in collaboration with Lutheran Services. Residents at four Lutheran Services aged care communities in Queensland are participating.

Aged care residents with cognitive decline are at a higher risk of malnutrition because memory loss leads to confusion. The study initially uses text-to-AI images to create prompts that spark food memories in aged care residents — the goal being to help them continue to savour mealtimes as their dementia advances.

Researcher Dr Tricia King, a lecturer in photography at UniSC, began the first stage of the pilot program at Immanuel Gardens Aged Care in Buderim before moving to other Lutheran Services sites in Caboolture, Woodridge and Laidley.

“The early research is progressing well and I’ve been working with participants asking them how they prefer meals presented and their favourite food memories before co-creating images of meals using AI,’’ King said.

“We discuss their responses to images of food prepared under the Aged Care Standards. I record what appeals to them and what doesn’t, if they prefer light or dark tablecloths, steam coming off the food, perhaps a hand visible or images taken from above.

“The results will be collated and in the next few months in collaboration with the UQ researchers we will take the first steps to develop AI-created images to be used as prompts for food choices of residents in aged care.

“Ultimately, I see the possibility of trialling a visual menu created by AI to be used as a tool for communication to help people with dementia decide what they wish to eat.”

King said the research would also explore the development of an app using AI-created images that could be used for residents as their communication abilities decrease.

Image caption: An AI study with researcher Tricia King is being carried out within the Lutheran Services community.