A ChatGPT-enabled Intelligent Assistive Technology for Homecare to Support Activities of Daily Living for People with Mild Dementia

People with dementia (PwD) face significant cognitive challenges that hinder their ability to perform daily tasks, referred to as activities of daily living (ADLs), and are particularly impeded when it comes to the more intricate instrumental ADLs (IADLs). Lacking sufficient support, individuals with dementia are at a greater risk of losing their independence and becoming more vulnerable. A range of intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) have been proposed to help individuals with mild dementia perform certain ADLs on their own. However, most current IATs offer limited support for IADLs to PwD, primarily due to the technologies inability to comprehend the unique communication needs of PwD and a lack of user-specific customization. This paper presents a new proposed homecare assistive tool for people with mild dementia, called CATcare (Cognitive Assistive Technology Care). Our CATcare system, utilizing ChatGPT, offers a comprehensive understanding of PwD. Easily operated and configured via smartphone or smart glasses, it allows caregivers to tailor it to the unique IADL requirements of each care recipient. Additionally, it offers step-by-step guidance, prompts, and timely feedback to help PwD complete their desired tasks. Our research leverages the capabilities of transfer learning from AI models in indoor localization, object detection, and Natural Language Processing (NLP) and shows the potential and promise to develop a customizable and personalizable CATcare tool. This CATcare system is intended to improve the quality of life of PwD and reduce the burden of their caregivers.