Hwaseong-si "We Manage Senior Health with AI and IoT"

Chronic Disease Management and Lifestyle Improvement

Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province is recruiting participants for a senior health management project utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) technologies.

Operating since 2020, this project is a non-face-to-face health management service using smart technology for seniors with limited access to medical care. Eligible applicants are seniors aged 65 or older who own a smartphone and wish to manage chronic diseases such as frailty, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as improve their health behaviors.

A Hwaseong City official is guiding local seniors on how to manage their health using a wrist activity tracker and a smartphone.
[Photo by Hwaseong City]

The city rents wrist activity trackers, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, and scales that can be linked to smartphones according to health behaviors to participating seniors. Using the senior-friendly mobile app 'Oneul Geongang' (Today Health), health missions such as 'daily walking' and 'daily blood pressure measurement' that can be practiced at home are assigned.

Dedicated personnel at public health centers continuously monitor participants' mission performance results and health measurement data for six months, providing customized health counseling and health education. For seniors living alone, if the pre-health screening results determine social frailty, an AI smart speaker is also provided.

The city continuously recruits new participants as the participation period of existing participants ends. Interested seniors can inquire at the public health center in their residential area. However, applicants may be excluded depending on smartphone model and health condition.

Meanwhile, Hwaseong City Dongtan Public Health Center is operating an intensive registration period in the first half of the year. They plan to recruit 150 people on a first-come, first-served basis by the 15th and complete participant registration by the end of March.

Gong Junsik, director of Hwaseong City Dongtan Public Health Center, said, "We expect this project to greatly contribute to closing the health gap caused by the digital capability gap among seniors," adding, "We will continue to expand smart technology-based health management services for seniors."