Visiting 200 Households of Elderly Living Alone:
Minimizing Emotional Isolation and Care Gaps During Holidays
Plans to Review Budget Expansion for Program Upgrades and Communication Fee Support
Pohang City conducted inspections of AI care robots on May 2, ahead of Parents' Day, to provide emotional support and ensure the safety of elderly residents living alone.
Ahead of Parents' Day, Pohang City visited elderly living alone on the 2nd to check on their well-being and inspect AI care robots. Photo by Pohang City
This inspection was carried out as a measure to minimize care gaps for elderly people living alone during the long holiday period starting on May 3. Public officials and life support workers responsible for customized elderly care services visited a total of 200 households to check the operation of AI care robots and to check on the well-being of the residents.
The AI care robot, designed in the form of a plush doll resembling a child, analyzes the user's speech patterns, tone of voice, and conversation content to provide emotionally empathetic responses such as "Are you feeling a bit down today?" or "Is there something troubling you?"
Beyond being a simple machine, the robot serves as a conversational companion and is equipped with various features, including monitoring wake-up and bedtime, medication reminders, and music playback. Life support workers can also remotely monitor movement and adjust schedules through an app.
The city currently operates the AI elderly care support service for low-income seniors living alone, and, considering the high level of user satisfaction, plans to review expanding the budget for program upgrades and communication fee support in the future.
A Pohang City official stated, "We hope that, during Family Month, the AI care robots can help alleviate some of the loneliness felt by elderly residents living alone. While technology cannot fully replace human presence, we will strive to establish an AI care system that can serve as an important medium for emotional support and safety."
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