Dementia Care, as Explained by ChatGPT by Dr. Carolyn Clevenger, Emory Integrated Memory Care

Emory’s Integrated Memory Care (IMC) practice is a primary care service created exclusively for people living with dementia. The IMC is staffed by specialist nurse practitioners in geriatrics and geriatric psychiatry, social work, registered nurses, and supporting physicians. The IMC in Community program specifically brings this care to people residing in select senior living communities. The Community program brings the full resources of Emory Healthcare and the IMC and includes a weekly companion visit with a team member we call a “dementia care assistant”.

One of the IMC dementia care assistants, Lucy, recently read about a challenge to prompt an AI tool (like ChatGPT) to describe your job. The challenge for ChatGPT is to keep it simple: explain the job as though you were speaking to a 6-year-old. There are many thoughts about ChatGPT these days but, at least in this case, the AI tool got it almost right! Below, we share with you Lucy’s prompt and explanation of dementia care as described by ChatGPT.

Here is Lucy’s prompt:

I am a dementia care assistant. I work for a nurse practitioner led clinic called Integrated Memory Care. It’s a joint initiative between Emory University’s School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare. We are a primary clinic for people living with dementia. Some of our patients come into the clinic to be seen. But we have another part of the business that goes into assisted living facilities and sees the residents there. My job is to get to know the patients I’m assigned to and visit them weekly for one hour to do engagement activities with them. My role was created by our clinic and does not yet exist outside of our practice.

Here is how ChatGPT explained Lucy’s job to a 6-year-old:

You know how some older people can start to forget things, like names or where they put their glasses? That’s called dementia. [IMC sidebar: dementia also causes significant changes in judgment, reasoning, memory, language, and overall thinking]

And when someone has dementia, they sometimes feel confused or worried and need a little extra help and kindness. Lucy’s job is to be a kind helper and friend to those people.

She works at a special doctor’s office just for people with dementia. Some of the people come into the clinic, and some live in homes with other older people, so Lucy goes to visit them there. She visits them every week, like a play date. They might talk, listen to music, look at pictures, or do fun little activities together—whatever makes the person feel happy, calm, and safe.

Lucy is part of a team of helpers called dementia care assistants. It’s a special job that only exists at the clinic where Lucy works, and they made it just to help people with dementia feel more cared for and connected. Lucy’s job is very important and full of heart!”

This is how ChatGPT would explain the Dementia Care Assistant job to a family interested in the program:

Lucy is a Dementia Care Assistant at Integrated Memory Care, a nurse practitioner-led clinic that’s part of a joint effort between Emory University’s School of Nursing and Emory Healthcare. Our clinic provides primary care specifically for people living with dementia, both in our clinic and in assisted living communities.

Lucy is part of a unique team of dementia care assistants—a role created by our clinic that doesn’t yet exist outside of our practice. Her job is to build meaningful, supportive relationships with the patients she’s assigned to. She visits them once a week for about an hour to provide engagement and companionship through personalized activities. These might include conversation, music, art, simple games, memory-based activities, or just being a calming presence. The goal of Lucy’s role is to support emotional well-being, encourage connection, and help our patients feel seen, valued, and cared for—especially as they navigate the challenges of dementia.

While the medical team handles diagnosis and treatment, dementia care assistants like Lucy focus on human connection and day-to-day joy. It’s a role rooted in empathy, consistency, and creativity—and it plays a powerful part in improving quality of life for people living with dementia.

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If you or someone you support is living with dementia and resides in a community that partners with Integrated Memory Care, a Dementia Care Assistant—and the whole team—can engage with you too. Learn more at www.nursing.emory.edu/imc or call (404) 712-6929 to get started.

Learn more: https://www.emoryhealthcare.org/centers-programs/integrated-memory-care-clinic

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