Cloud-Based Smart Dog Music Therapy and Pneumonia Detection System for Reducing the Difficulty of Caring for Patients with Dementia

Abstract

There is currently no cure for Alzheimer's disease, leaving patients to rely solely on good quality care services to prolong their life. Besides, it has been found that the onset of pneumonia can accelerate the progression of dementia and even lead to death. This has led to an increased caregiving burden and a level of emotional stress among caregivers that can be unbearable. The aim of this study was to build a Smart Dog music therapy and pneumonia detection system, which combines a robotic dog, cloud technology, a multi-agent system, an adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), a web application, and sensor technology to deliver care for patients with Alzheimer's disease and help mitigate the difficulties faced by caregivers. Interviews were conducted with caregivers following the use of the system to determine its usefulness in caregiving work and whether it improved their overall caregiving experience. A majority of the interviewed caregivers agreed that the system brought about improvements.