With the government pushing to launch a program to handle dementia patients, Gachon University Gil Medical Center said it would use artificial intelligence to develop an integrated model to treat and manage dementia patients.

The hospital said its medical serviced based on the integrated model would range from medical treatments and nursing to social welfare and rehabilitation of dementia patients.

It made these and other points at a forum at Gachon Hall on Sept. 8 themed on how to realize the government’s plan to give more role to the state in taking care of dementia patients.

Gil Medical Center has been gearing up for advanced research to help patients overcome dementia, recently launching a brain research institute, opening a dementia center in Incheon and Gachon Brain Health Center, and establishing “Brain Valley” in Songdo, Incheon.

The hospital said such integrated model to manage dementia patients would help it serve as a principal hospital for the state program.

“We plan to build an integrated business model to fully take care of dementia patients from prevention of the disease to rehabilitation,” said Professor Yim Jeong-su of Gil Medical Center’s Preventive Medicine Department. “Toward this end, we will open up and work with other universities and closely cooperate with officials at other dementia management facilities and government officials at dementia care centers.”

Yim said the hospital is working on the model development and currently building a cohort of those at high risk of dementia at local communities. “We will recruit suitable persons to develop treatments, new technologies and verify preventive effect,” he said.

Gil Medical Center currently operates a cancer center with the AI-based platform Watson for Oncology. The hospital said it hopes to utilize big data to customize monitoring, diagnosis, treatments, and rehabilitation through AI Doctor Gil Project.

“By using AI, we will enhance database and biomarkers for dementia diagnosis. We will also build an AI platform, exclusively designed for dementia diagnosis, treatments, and rehabilitation,” Yim said.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is working out a state program to give the state more responsibility in taking care of dementia patients. Measures being floated include expanding the national health insurance coverage for dementia diagnosis and checkups, reducing the medical burdens on affected patients and enhancing support for families.

“In December, 252 dementia care centers will open to offer advice for early-stage dementia patients, help them discover the disease early, manage them through one-on-one service, provide resting areas such as a café and offer related services and introduce other government agencies,” said Kim Min-joo, an official at the ministry’s Senior Policy Division.

“The café will encourage dementia patients’ families to take a rest, offer them related education and help them to reach each other’s help,” Kim went on to day. The center also plans to issue a recognition label to prevent the missing of seniors who have dementia and provide GPS-based devices for long-term nursing services.”

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