Dongdaemun-gu Dementia Care Platform Selected as a Resident Life Innovation Case by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety

Expansion of SMART Dementia Care Home Platform Construction: Innovation in 'Community Health and Safety Improvement' · AI Speaker 24-Hour Dementia Management, Following Last Year's Selection for 'Large Waste Smart Disposal'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol)’s ‘SMART Dementia Care Home Platform Construction’ project has been selected as an excellent case of resident life innovation by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety this year.

Following last year’s ‘Large Waste Smart Disposal’ project being selected as an excellent case of resident life innovation, this marks a remarkable achievement of being selected for two consecutive years.

The ‘Resident Life Innovation Case Expansion Support Project’ is a program by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety that selects and disseminates excellent cases nationwide that can alleviate residents’ inconveniences and improve resident benefits, chosen through various evaluations such as national goal implementation, government innovation, and competitions since 2020. Among these, Dongdaemun-gu’s ‘SMART Dementia Care Home Platform Construction’ project was selected as an excellent case in the ‘Resident Health and Safety Improvement’ category.

The ‘Smart Dementia Care Home Platform Construction’ project established a system that allows dementia management at home by utilizing IoT technology to minimize the lack of dementia management caused by the impact of COVID-19. Detailed projects include an AI 24-hour customized dementia care service and a YouTube-based QR cognitive program BOOK service.

The AI speaker ‘Aria,’ introduced for the AI 24-hour customized dementia care service, can be used solely by voice recognition, making it convenient for the elderly to use. It is equipped with various functions such as ▲Brain Tok Tok cognitive training ▲Medication management ▲Companion service ▲Information content provision ▲Emergency SOS request.

The district was the first nationwide to introduce the AI speaker Aria and has distributed it to a total of 257 households so far. It has also expanded distribution to dementia safety centers in four autonomous districts in Seoul and 13 cities and provinces including Gyeonggi-do, Chungcheong-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Chungcheongnam-do.

Additionally, the district continuously encourages the use of the speaker by linking center staff, the Dosimkwon 50+ Center health coordinators, the dementia overcoming leading volunteer group, and the Rotaract Club of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies.

Another service, the YouTube cognitive program BOOK ‘Gachihayo,’ was created so that people with mild cognitive impairment and high-risk dementia groups can use the center’s high-quality programs at home without spatial and temporal restrictions. Participants use pre-distributed kits and QR codes to watch and follow participatory programs developed by professional therapists through YouTube videos. So far, more than 200 kits have been distributed to 93 dementia safety centers and related organizations nationwide.

A district official stated, “We believe that our proactive response to the changing healthcare paradigm and the establishment of a care system based on IoT technology to alleviate depression and alienation have been recognized. We hope that the Smart Dementia Care Home Platform Construction project will spread nationwide and contribute to improving residents’ quality of life. We will continue to strive to create new innovations in the daily lives of our residents.”