Meeting AI Care 'Aria' Doubles Activity Range of Elderly Living Alone

SKT and National Social Solidarity Economy Local Government Council Publish 'Artificial Intelligence Care' White Paper

[Asia Economy Reporter Joesulgina] SK Telecom announced on the 17th that it has published a white paper titled "Happy Community - 365 Days of Happy Companionship Between Elderly Living Alone and Artificial Intelligence," which contains all information related to 'AI Care,' in collaboration with the National Social Solidarity Economy Local Government Council and the social enterprise Happy Connect.

This white paper is the first publication to focus comprehensively on the 'life of elderly living alone' and 'AI care.' It clearly organizes information related to 'AI care,' including ▲service introduction and status ▲effectiveness analysis ▲living patterns of elderly living alone ▲daily life changes due to COVID-19.

Notably, it was found that seniors’ self-efficacy improved through the use of 'AI care.' This led to an increase in call volume and expansion of activity range among the elderly. As self-efficacy rose, the number of calls and data usage surged, and the average daily travel distance approximately doubled.

The white paper also identified external factors contributing to emotional changes in the elderly. It showed that when seniors ▲contact family members more than four times a month ▲go out at least once a week ▲have seven or more conversation partners, feelings of depression and loneliness decrease, while life satisfaction and happiness indices increase.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in January, the frequency of speaker use among the elderly surged, increasing by 127% as of April. Additionally, with the start of social distancing, emotional expression steadily increased, rising by about 45% in May compared to March.

SK Telecom and the Local Government Council launched the 5G era ICT-linked care service 'AI Care' in April last year. As of the end of July this year, the number of participating local governments and public institutions increased from 14 to 23, and the number of elderly users rose from approximately 3,260 to 4,700.

In particular, as of the end of July this year, a total of 519 reports were received through the 'Emergency SOS' function, rescuing 33 elderly living alone from dangerous situations. SK Telecom stated that about 73% of emergency situations occurred during nighttime hours (6 PM to 9 AM), and the effect of building a 24-hour 'social safety net' through ADT Caps’ 24-hour intensive monitoring is clearly evident.

SK Telecom is also focusing on communication with the elderly on-site through ICT care managers. As of April this year, ICT care managers visited elderly homes a total of 45,000 times and conducted 2,452 phone consultations. It was found that the shorter the visit cycle and the higher the number of phone consultations, the higher the elderly’s service utilization rate.

SK Telecom and the Local Government Council will hold a policy seminar titled "The Present and Challenges of AI Care Services" at the National Assembly Library Auditorium on the 24th to discuss the direction and activation plans for AI care services. The seminar will include participants such as Jung Won-oh, Chairman of the Local Government Council (Mayor of Seongdong-gu), Na Sung-woong, Director of the Health Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Shin Jong-woo, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau of Gyeongsangnam-do, as well as experts from related fields including Kim Beom-soo, Director of the Barun ICT Research Institute, Na Yang-won, Executive Director of Happy Connect, and Professor Yoon Jeong-hye of CHA University.

Lee Junho, Head of SK Telecom’s SV Promotion Group, said, "We published this white paper to enhance understanding of the 'life of elderly living alone' and 'AI care' in our society and to explore directions for service development together. We will continue to support and pay attention to improving the quality of life for the elderly using ICT in the 5G era."

Jung Won-oh, Chairman of the Local Government Council, stated, "In a time when the paradigm of care services needs to change due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and the COVID-19 crisis, local governments will seek multifaceted support measures to provide 'AI care' services to more elderly people."

The white paper is available for viewing on the Happy Connect official website (www.happyconnect.co.kr).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.