Support for Alzheimer’s patients has been renewed within the framework of the activities of the International Alzheimer’s Disease Month, on September 21 of each year. The name Alzheimer's is derived from the name of the German doctor Alois Alzheimer who discovered it in 1906 AD after he noticed anatomical changes in the brain of a woman who died of an unusual mental illness. The disease begins with a slight loss of memory accompanied by a deterioration of thinking and behavior skills, which severely affects the lifestyle of the patient and often leads to his death.
The World Health Organization has revealed that more than 55 million people worldwide have dementia. This number is expected to rise to 78 million by 2030, and to 139 million by 2050. There are 130,000 people with Alzheimer's disease in Saudi Arabia and this number doubles every 5 years and is expected to reach 14 million by 2060, according to Saudi Ministry of Health statistics.
Under the patronage of the Dean of the College of Sciences and Human Studies in Hotat Bani Tamim, Dr. Hessa Saud Al-Hazzani, the students of the Information Systems Department held an event entitled “Applications of Artificial Intelligence to Assist Alzheimer’s Patients” under the supervision of Dr. Hebatullah Ahmed Al-Waishi, instructor of Information Systems and in the presence of the Vice Dean for Educational and Academic Affairs, Dr. Bayan Ibrahim Al-Saif, a group of faculty and administrative staff, and 66 female students. That took place on Wednesday 2/3/1444 H, 29/9/2022 AD at 10:30 am at the college theater.
The event aimed at raising and enhancing health awareness about Alzheimer's disease, identifying the challenges faced by patients and their families, and searching for techniques to automate services provided to Alzheimer's patients in order to change their lifestyle and alleviate the symptoms of the disease.
The activity began with the definition of Alzheimer's disease and its stages and symptoms. The students followed it up with a presentation of a realistic case study through a dialogue conducted by student Haya Abdullah Thari in an audio intervention with Instructor Suha Ibrahim Al-Hubaishi, a graduate of the Accounting Department at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University. The instructor recounted details of her father's infection with Alzheimer's disease and its stages of development, may God pardon him and all the patients. This was an incentive for female students to conduct research in their field of specialization about artificial intelligence techniques and its role as a tool used by doctors in describing, analyzing and reviewing the responses of Alzheimer's patients. The event concluded with the students’ review of several smart applications that facilitate daily life and alleviate the suffering of Alzheimer’s patients and their families, may God reward them and grant them good health.
The event also held an awareness corner that included several publications on artificial intelligence applications designed to help Alzheimer's patients. The event was well received by the attendees, as everyone praised the students' efforts in keeping pace with international events and employing technology in facing the problems of society.
