Can AI make life easier for people with dementia?
He became interested in computing while in the Royal Air Force in the 1980s and went on to learn several programming languages.
In recent years he’s been enthusiastic about the rise of AI, which he uses for editing photographs, for translating text messages, and for research.
Overall, Mr Middleton is having a busy retirement. In addition to his hobbies and his dementia blog, he’s a lived-experience consultant, committee member and volunteer with Alzheimer’s Society.
Since his diagnosis with dementia five years ago, at the age of 65, he’s noticed changes to his short-term memory. For example, “I can still write apps for mobile phones, but I can’t remember where I put my telephone.”
"If people incorporate the benefits of using AI into their lives, it will be good for their self-respect and self-esteem, and it will keep them independent for longer. And if it does that, it keeps them out of the NHS system and out of care homes.”
One is Simon, an app that uses geo-tracking and machine learning to determine the specific needs of a user and provide notifications that could help.
