The Seoul Metropolitan Government has been operating the safety management solution project for vulnerable senior citizens through which IoT devices are installed in the houses of the elderly who live alone to provide untact care services. A total of 135 dangerous situations have been detected through the project and preemptive actions were taken.

The project saved lives or prevented more severe emergencies. An elderly citizen who lost consciousness at home was found and taken to the hospital. A senior citizen with dementia who wandered outside the house was found and safely guided home. The elderly who were taken care of thanks to the service did not become the victims of lonely deaths. These results were thanks to the IoT sensor that sent an alert when there was no movement for a long period of time and the life supporters who responded quickly.

The “safety management solution project for vulnerable senior citizens” is a service that installs IoT devices in the houses of vulnerable senior citizens who have poor health, safety, and social network to monitor their daily lives and respond to emergencies. Beneficiaries are the elderly citizens who need safety monitoring due to isolation, depression, and old age among the beneficiaries of customized care services for senior citizens.

The SMG will broaden the number of beneficiaries of the safety management solution project for vulnerable senior citizens to 10,000 households by 2020. The goal of this project is to offer untact care services and minimize the blind spots in care for vulnerable senior citizens that are generated due to the closure of welfare centers and the reduction of face-to-face services caused by the prolonged COVID-19 crisis. The SMG has the goal of making the smart welfare service a new care model in the post-coronavirus age.

The data gathered from the households of the elderly are monitored in real-time on the screen of each autonomous and metropolitan institution and mobile devices of the life supporters in charge. If there is no movement detected for a certain period of time or if there is something wrong in terms of temperature, humidity, and illuminance, life supporters respond promptly by going to the scene and calling 119.

Monitoring System of Safety Management Solution (IoT) Project for Vulnerable Senior Citizens

The real-time monitoring of movement enables life supporters to check the safety of the high-risk group as well, such as those who are isolated, voluntarily living in seclusion, or depressed, as well as those who cannot be reached easily by phone due to a vision or hearing impairments.

Additionally, when the indoor temperature is higher than 32℃, the life supporters educate the elderly about the guidelines for coping with heatwaves, provide items to keep cool, and also improve humid housing environments of the elderly through association with local social resources using objective data.

For more information about the safety management solution (IoT) project for vulnerable senior citizens, contact the Dasan Call Center at 120 or inquire at the Senior Welfare Division of the autonomous district office or the Community Service Center of the dong.