Protecting Middle-Aged Single-Person Households with Motion-Detecting 'Dobong Ansim Care IoT Service'

Installation of IoT Devices Utilizing Movement, Temperature, Light, and Humidity Sensors... Alerts Displayed in Three Stages: Caution, Warning, Danger When No Movement Detected for a Certain Period, Enabling Rapid Response to Emergencies

'Dobong Ansim Care' IoT devices installed in households within the Dobong-gu area

‘Dobong Anshim Care’ Monitoring System Flowchart

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Dobong-gu (Mayor Dongjin Lee) has been monitoring the safety of middle-aged single-person households, a previously underserved welfare group, through the ‘Dobong Anshim Care’ project utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) technology since November last year.

The district prioritizes identifying middle-aged single-person households in the area that are at high risk of emergencies, installing and managing IoT devices that collect data such as movement, temperature, illumination, and humidity in 100 households.

In homes equipped with the ‘Dobong Anshim Care’ device, if no movement is detected from the monitored individual for a certain period, alerts are displayed on the district office’s dashboard in three stages: caution, warning, and danger. Upon alert notification, the responsible staff in each neighborhood first attempts a phone check. If contact is not made or an emergency is suspected, a second step involves a home visit and coordination with 119 emergency services to verify the crisis and provide assistance.

Dobong-gu continuously monitors the individuals through a centralized dashboard while also keeping real-time watch via neighborhood community centers and the Dobong Welfare Crisis Management Manager, ‘Bonggune Huimangssi’. Each community center establishes and implements its own monitoring plans tailored to local conditions and immediately reports any changes such as death, relocation, or hospitalization to minimize blind spots.

In January, a welfare officer in Banghak 2-dong noticed abnormally low temperature readings from a monitored household during freezing weather. Unable to reach the resident by phone, the officer visited immediately and confirmed the safety of the individual who had turned off the boiler after drinking and was sleeping, thereby preventing a major accident.

Meanwhile, since 2018, Dobong-gu has also been operating a safety and health management solution project using IoT devices for elderly people living alone, managing 397 households as of 2020.

This year, an additional 141 devices are planned to be installed.

Mayor Dongjin Lee of Dobong-gu stated, “With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, social isolation and depression among middle-aged single-person households, previously welfare blind spots, have increased, making preventive approaches urgent. Since one-third of Dobong-gu’s households are single-person, we will do our utmost to support these households to live healthy and vibrant lives within the community.”

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