Janusz Wojtusiak, Professor, Health Administration and Policy, College of Public Health, is set to receive funding for the project: “An Artificial Intelligence Solution to Social Isolation and Longlines of Caregivers of People with Dementia.”
Janusz Wojtusiak, Professor, Health Administration and Policy, College of Public Health, is set to receive funding for the project: “An Artificial Intelligence Solution to Social Isolation and Longlines of Caregivers of People with Dementia.”
Wojtusiak and his graduate student Ghaida Alsadah will lay the foundation for a large study aimed at utilizing AI methods to address social isolation and loneliness among people who care for those with Alzheimer’s Disease and those suffering from dementia.
Addressing social isolation requires several steps, including: (1) identifying individuals who are in need and can benefit from an AI-based intervention; (2) designing and building the intervention; (3) disseminating the intervention; and (4) analyzing it. This project is designed to accurately identify caregivers who are socially isolated or at risk of becoming socially isolated. It will be followed by other studies.
“Artificial Intelligence methods have the potential to help those who suffer from loneliness and social isolation, as well as lack of resources that would allow them, for example, to travel to see family members. AI methods can adapt to a specific person, and this is the key to helping them,” Wojtusiak said.
Wojtusiak will receive $49,532 from The Virginia Center on Aging for this project. Funding will begin in Aug. 2024 and will end in late June 2025.
###
ABOUT GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.
