From ambient assistance to data-driven precision in AI-enabled Alzheimer's care (2004-2025): a bibliometric perspective.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

Population aging and the rising prevalence of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (AD/ADRD) have created an urgent need for innovative care solutions. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a critical tool, yet a macro-level quantitative analysis of its evolutionary trajectory in geriatric care remains scarce. This study conducts a comprehensive bibliometric analysis to map the knowledge domain of AI-empowered geriatric care for AD/ADRD from 2004 to 2025, elucidating spatial distributions, evolutionary trajectories, and emerging research frontiers.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND

METHODS

A total of 1,197 eligible records were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection. Bibliometric analyses including co-occurrence networks, burst detection, and thematic evolution were conducted utilizing CiteSpace, VOSviewer, and the Bibliometrix R package.

RESULTS

The 1,197 documents (402 sources; 7,268 authors) show an annual growth rate of 30.36%, peaking at 262 publications in 2025. The United States (242 articles; 6,640 citations) and China (213 articles; 3,649 citations) dominate global output, with Harvard University and the University of London as primary hubs, though the Global South remains underrepresented. Thematic evolution reveals three phases: early "smart homes" and "activity detection"; middle "home monitoring" and "social robots"; and a current frontier of "explainable AI" and biomarker-driven risk assessment. Keyword bursts confirm "tau" and "intervention" as leading hotspots to 2025.

DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: AI in AD/ADRD care is transitioning from environmental assistance to neuro-precision diagnostics and therapeutics. Future research should integrate ethical, multimodal AI to bridge care gaps and facilitate high-quality aging-in-place.