CareDoc Selects 'INFRA' as 2026 Senior Industry Trend Keyword

"From Care to AI: Full-Scale INFRA Transformation Begins"

CareDoc, a comprehensive senior care company, announced on January 6 that it has selected "INFRA" as the core trend keyword predicting the direction of the domestic senior industry in 2026.

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INFRA is an acronym that combines the initial letters of each trend keyword: the Opening of the Integrated Care Era (Integrated Care), Evolution of Senior Medicine (Next-Gen Senior Healthcare), Expansion of Financial Competition for Seniors (Financial Competition for Seniors), Broadening of the Retirement Housing Spectrum (Retirement Housing Spectrum), and Acceleration of AI and IoT Adoption in Care Settings (AI for Care).

The most immediately noticeable change is expected to be the opening of the integrated care era. Starting March 27, the "Integrated Care Support Act" will come into effect. This system is designed to provide medical, nursing, and care services in an organically connected manner to seniors and people with disabilities.

The trend of evolving senior medicine is also expected to advance further. This is due to the fact that the average life expectancy in Korea has risen to among the highest in the OECD, increasing awareness of healthy life expectancy and rapidly growing demand among the elderly for preventive healthcare and specialized medical services.

In the financial sector, the expansion of financial competition for seniors is expected to accelerate. This year, the scope of senior financial products is likely to extend to practical areas such as dementia risk management, as well as housing and nursing care linkage.

The broadening of the retirement housing spectrum is also anticipated to occur within this year. Analysts say that the market, which underwent quantitative expansion last year, is now entering a diversified phase, moving beyond polarization.

The adoption of AI and IoT in care settings is also expected to accelerate. Previously, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to promote pilot projects for AI smart homes and smart welfare facilities in 2026, as well as support for the commercialization of advanced welfare technologies.

Park Jaebyung, CEO of CareDoc, stated, "We believe that 2026 will be a year in which policy and industrial responses to a super-aged society will advance to the next level and become more visible, which is why we have selected these five key trend keywords to reflect these changes." He added, "CareDoc will continue to take the lead in delivering reliable services that genuinely improve the quality of life for seniors, based on on-site expertise and industry trends."