Dementia is a growing problem in Australia’s ageing society and identifying people with it can be difficult.

The latest research shows how artificial intelligence could make a difference.

About 50 million people worldwide live with some form of dementia, and that’s expected to triple by 2050, according to the World Alzheimer Report.

But even that could be an underestimate because identifying people with the illness can be challenging.

An Australian-US research team has created an AI tool capable of identifying dementia by analyzing medical records for numerous indicators, such as memory issues, difficulty with daily tasks, anxiety, and unexplainable agitation.

It makes it easier to diagnose potential sufferers.

Professor Velandai Srikanth explained, “If we identify signs suggesting the presence of dementia in someone, and they agree, we could perform a comprehensive clinical assessment to confirm it and potentially offer improved care.”

The research was conducted by experts from the National Centre for Healthy Ageing, a collaboration between Monash University in Melbourne and Peninsula Health. They examined over 1,000 individuals aged 60 and above who have dementia.

Using traditional data gathering and AI, researchers found their algorithms were highly accurate in determining whether or not a person had the illness.

They believe that, if adopted widely, this AI approach could transform how dementia is identified and managed.