Nowon-gu, the Nation's First 'Smart Daily Life Activity Training Center' Established

Establishment of a Smart Daily Living Activity Training Center for Dementia Patients at Nowon-gu Dementia Safety Center

Early-stage dementia patients can participate in daily living activity (ADL) education programs and experience smart home devices

Expected to supplement the declined physical functions of dementia patients and reduce the caregiving burden on family caregivers

Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it has established the nation's first 'Smart Daily Living Activity Training Center' for early-stage dementia patients.

'Daily living activity training' is an educational program that helps dementia patients perform activities independently in a training room designed to resemble a home. It identifies hidden risk factors throughout the dementia patients' homes and supports modifying their living environment and habits.

Since 2019, the district has been conducting existing training programs, and recently integrated popular ICT technology to create a smart daily living activity training center that assists basic activities for elderly people with mild dementia, expanding the training programs.

The training targets early-stage dementia patients who have been assessed with a Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score between 0.5 and 1. Early-stage dementia patients can perform some daily activities without going to nursing homes or hospitals, but due to functional loss, the risk of safety accidents increases, requiring special attention and training.

At the newly established training center within the Nowon Dementia Safety Center, patients can learn basic living skills such as fall prevention and safe showering with occupational therapists, and experience various devices that can compensate for lost physical functions.

The training center is designed to resemble a typical home and is equipped with various smart home devices. Participants can learn to use popular devices such as door locks and video phones, as well as guided lighting for nighttime navigation, electronic curtains operated by smart switches, and heating and cooling devices.

Additionally, participants can experience a complex safety system equipped with a vital check system during sleep that allows caregivers or family members to monitor the dementia patient's condition in emergencies, as well as temperature and humidity monitoring, fall notifications, and fire detection functions.

The district expects that smart daily living activity training will support the independent living of early-stage dementia patients, prevent safety accidents in daily life, and reduce the burden and anxiety of caregivers.

Meanwhile, based on research from the Central Dementia Center showing a sharp increase in dementia prevalence after age 75, this year the district is intensively promoting the necessity and methods of early dementia screening to about 4,000 residents turning 75.

Any resident of Nowon-gu aged 60 or older can receive a free dementia screening test (CIST). If cognitive decline is detected, integrated management at the Nowon-gu Dementia Safety Center is available, including neuropsychological evaluation and specialist diagnostic tests.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “We established the training center to help mild dementia patients live independently, alleviate their fear of daily life, and reduce the burden on dementia families. We will continue to offer various programs through the Nowon-gu Dementia Safety Center to provide systematic and integrated support.”

Elderly person talking with an AI speaker

Yeongdeungpo-gu Smartly Cares for Elderly Living Alone 24/7

Providing AI Companion Speakers to 300 Low-income Elderly Living Alone for Comprehensive Welfare Care

Supports Dementia and Depression Prevention and Emergency Response for Elderly Living Alone

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will implement the ‘Happy Community Project’ to provide AI speakers to low-income elderly living alone for comprehensive welfare care.

The ‘Happy Community Project’ is a program that cares for the health and emotions of low-income elderly living alone through AI speakers. This year, the district distributed AI speakers to 300 low-income elderly residents aged 65 or older.

The AI speakers provide ▲ one-on-one emotional conversations ▲ streaming of music and inspirational quotes ▲ daily information such as weather to support the emotional well-being of the elderly. They also manage health through ▲ dementia prevention brain exercises ▲ bare-hand gymnastics ▲ medication reminders. Notably, if the AI speaker recognizes an urgent or emergency voice from the elderly living alone, a 24-hour service monitoring center and 119 emergency services are dispatched to prevent accidents. If the elderly express negative words or emotions, the AI speaker connects them to professional counseling services.

Additionally, care managers of the Happy Community Project regularly visit elderly living alone to check on their health and well-being. The district plans to expand the functions of the AI speakers to build an even more thorough and seamless welfare network.

Furthermore, the district provides non-face-to-face care services to about 570 elderly living alone using Internet of Things (IoT) devices. These services include real-time safety monitoring, emergency dispatch in case of incidents, customized welfare checks, and prevention of solitary deaths, ensuring the safety of the elderly.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, said, “We will actively utilize smart technology to warmly care for the body and mind of elderly living alone. We aim to build a seamless and comprehensive welfare network to create a warm Yeongdeungpo where socially vulnerable groups, including elderly living alone, can live together.”

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