On a day in December last year when the biting cold wind was blowing fiercely, Halla 1 Complex in Jungdong, Bucheon City, Gyeonggi Province. Late at night, a 'beep beep' alarm sounded in the quiet management office. At the same time, a red danger signal blinked on the CarePlug status board.

The signal originated from the home of Lee Kyungja (81) in Building 118. Kim Euncheol, the housing welfare team leader at Korea Land & Housing Corporation, called her. Beep, beep, beep. She didn't answer after three calls. He rushed straight to her home.

The 'Care Plug' is a small multi-tap that detects electricity usage and brightness. You just need to plug it into an outlet in the living room, kitchen, or bathroom. The sensor inside the plug detects whether the elderly person is using electricity or has turned on the lights, and sends real-time information to the apartment management office's monitoring board. That evening, the alarm was a warning about her condition.

Kim said, "I knocked on the door and rang the bell for over 10 minutes, and then she finally crawled out," recalling the situation. "If I had been even a little later, it could have been a disaster."

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It was the Care Plug that saved her. Bucheon City, a pilot area for integrated care, provides Care Plugs to elderly households. Seniors who have the device installed are managed in two groups according to their health condition. Those who are relatively healthy are 'general', and those who have just been discharged from the hospital or have difficulty moving are 'high risk'. For 'general', an alarm sounds if there is no signal for 70 hours; for 'high risk', it's 14 hours. This woman, who lives alone and has symptoms of leg paralysis, falls into the 'high risk' category.

Halla Complex 1 is a permanent rental apartment, so staff from Korea Land & Housing Corporation like Kim reside there and take care of the residents. Recently, Kim visited her home again. As soon as she saw him, she became emotional, remembering that time. "It was when I had COVID-19. I had a high fever, couldn't turn on the lights or eat for two days. If no one had come that day, I wonder if I'd still be alive. The Care Plug saved me. Even if I collapse, someone will come running, so I feel safe living alone. After that day, I felt I could keep living in this home."

Elderly people of her generation tend to be frugal with themselves. Kim said, "Some households only turn on the TV instead of the lights to save on electricity bills, and some eat at the senior center so they don't use the rice cooker and only turn on the lights." He added, "We carefully monitor both the brightness and electricity usage graphs, and if we see any unusual patterns, we act immediately." Staff can also check the Care Plug dashboard on their personal smartphones, so they take turns monitoring alarms even at night.

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▲Grandmother Kyungja Lee, a recipient of the Dolbom Plug service, is talking with Euncheol Kim, team leader of the Housing Management Corporation, who visited her home in Jungdong Halla Complex 1, Bucheon, on December 27 last year. Photo by Jinhyung Kang

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Bucheon City explains that the Care Plug is useful in densely populated apartment areas because it allows the status of elderly residents to be managed all at once. Bucheon is a first-generation new city, and as those who moved in 30 years ago have aged, the entire city is aging together. Of the total population (about 770,000), 18% (134,000) are elderly.

Currently, the Care Plug is being piloted in 233 households across four rental apartment complexes in Bucheon. The device costs 100,000 KRW, and the usage fee is 2,750 KRW per person per month. Hong Eunyoung, the integrated care team leader at Bucheon City, said, "There are more and more elderly people with mobility issues in private apartments and residential neighborhoods. As long as there are staff at management offices or community welfare centers to monitor, we can expand the Care Plug service to more areas."

In Halla Complex 1, where the woman lives, the health status of elderly residents is separately recorded. Kim said, "When an elderly person in critical condition is discovered and needs to be taken by ambulance, it's helpful to know what illnesses they have and what their lifestyle habits are, so we keep a record." In the 'Care Plug Recipient Status' file he always carries, this is what was written about her:

'Visual impairment, difficulty walking, symptoms of leg paralysis, gastritis.' 'Actively participates in yoga and qigong exercises.' 'Rational and positive attitude.' 'Strong will to continue living at home.'

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