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Our society is aging rapidly, with more than 3.4 million seniors living alone last year.

In the case of the elderly, it is difficult to manage their health, so the number of deaths alone is increasing.

Digital technology is emerging as an alternative to address these blind spots in care.



Correspondent Jeong Seong-jin.



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Elderly people appear one by one on the video monitor.



[Begins.] You



are attending a gymnastics class held at a public health center with a smart pad.



Blood pressure, pulse, and blood sugar are also sent to the public health center in real time through a bracelet worn on the wrist.



[Park Oh-mok (70 years old) / Incheon Namdong-gu: Blood pressure, diabetes, and weight are all checked.

This morning (blood sugar level) came out 100 (less than), 98 came out, after a few months.]



One social worker at this public health center is in charge of 250 elderly people. Counseling is available every day.



[(You have arthritis, so it's a little difficult.) It's hard.]



In particular, even in the case of a fall, which is dangerous for the elderly, the sensor on the bracelet and necklace detects the impact and notifies the designated guardian by text message.



[Jo Bank / Incheon Namdong-gu Health Center Director: Because you can see the condition of the elderly in real time, management can be seen at a glance, so it is really beneficial in that respect.]



Last year, the number of people over the age of 60 living alone exceeded 3.45 million.



Digital services are emerging as an alternative to health care in a situation where the aging population is rapidly aging and face-to-face contact is difficult due to the corona virus.



From AI speakers and talking robots to prevent depression and dementia to daily life and sleep monitoring, local governments are addressing blind spots in care with digital technology.



[Lee Young-ah / LG U+ Healthcare Manager: It seems that there were a lot of difficulties in the pandemic situation when receiving health care.

A service that is easily accessible and that the elderly can enjoy health care…

.]



However, since digital is still a distant and unfamiliar technology for many elderly people, more efforts are needed to create an easy and simple user experience.



(Video coverage: Kang Dong-cheol, video editing: Park Ki-duk)