(Wearable device keywords, TechforAging)
A representative example of a human-centered design can be said to be a wearable device. Currently, the biggest stake in the wearable device business in Korea is the elderly wearable device. The greatest potential of wearable devices is that they can be a medium for platform linkage. The core of the wearable device platform is to distribute wearable devices to the elderly population by linking institutions such as welfare institutions and telecommunications companies, collect data of the elderly, share it among institutions, and provide linked services. This journal will address the elements necessary for wearable devices to connect with the platform.
(Wearable technology daily usage rates, Statista)
If wearable devices for the elderly are commercialized in Korean society, they can be said to be an extension of the u-care service, a digital welfare service. Activity sensors, gas and fire sensors, and emergency callers can be installed at home for the elderly living alone, and if the elderly living alone is not active or is significantly lower than usual, the institution can be expanded to check their safety by phone. Furthermore, it is possible to compensate for the problem that the u-care service is not widely implemented due to a shortage of manpower. This is because if the devices are distributed, caregivers can manage the safety of the elderly by integrating them into machines without visiting them in person. Public institutions that can be linked include fire engines, surrounding elderly institutions, and medical institutions. First of all, firefighting agencies can receive emergency calls and fire report signals sent by the elderly to their terminals in real-time. In addition, if an outlier appears in which the degree of water and electricity use measured in the data is lower than the average, it can be dispatched after receiving a report from a nearby elderly institution that manages the device. Elderly institutions can collect GPS data and provide safe zone services with the consent of the elderly themselves or their guardians. When the elderly with dementia leaves the designated place, they can provide a service in the form of notification to local institutions immediately.
Medical institutions can collect medical-related data on the elderly and provide appropriate welfare data in connection with welfare institutions. A representative example is the provision of nursing services for stroke patients using k-cluster cluster analysis. Seoul National University's Graduate School of Medicine analyzed the data of stroke patients and divided them into long-term care groups and short-term care groups to provide nursing services for an appropriate period. If the above institution is linked, it is possible to achieve data welfare governance in which institutions and companies cooperate, not central government-centered welfare provision.
(Wearable device usage example, Senior Lifestyle)
The key to the "platform for all" is to allow as many people as possible to enjoy the benefits of data welfare services without difficulty. This means that the elderly population is more likely to have lower device utilization and judgment ability than other generations. The screen should be composed of large letters, simplified screens, and pictograms so that there is no inconvenience in use, and interfaces using touch (vibration), vision (red use in emergency situations), and hearing should be configured. You will also need a shortcut button to contact the emergency contact network.
The limitation of the welfare platform through devices is that the national budget alone cannot cover the supply of devices for the entire population. From a long-term perspective, it is possible to earn profits by reducing the labor cost of welfare workers through device distribution, but this takes a long time and even if it earns profits through this, there are budget limitations. Therefore, it is necessary to supplement the limitations of device distribution with data welfare services to be described later and expand the scope of welfare in the form of distributing devices to as many populations as possible by linking them with telecommunication companies and platform companies.
(Wearable device industry growth, Business Insider)
The closer you are to the city and the center, the more likely you are to see the benefits of technological development, but in farming and fishing villages and provinces, technology alienation is occurring because related infrastructure is inadequate. To solve this problem, a community care system should also be included in the platform that allows locals and businesses to form a cooperative relationship within data governance to enjoy the benefits of data technology development. The basic concept of community care is a policy that integrally supports social services so that residents in need of care can enjoy individual services in the region and live together in the community. The types of subjects of the elderly model are clustered to provide services accordingly. The classification presented by the state is divided into five models, which are health promotion, chronic diseases, and long-term care. Health care/welfare services in the community can be provided to health care targets discovered based on data, and are conducted through cooperation between health centers and private companies.
References
“Wearable Technology for Seniors.” Senior Lifestyle, 5 Nov. 2021, https://www.seniorlifestyle.com/resources/blog/wearable-technology-for-seniors/.
Stewart, Conor. “Wearable Technology Daily Usage Rates 50+ Adults by Group U.S. 2019.” Statista, 28 July 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1088638/wearable-technology-daily-usage-rates-among-older-adults-by-age-group-us/.
Intelligence, Insider. “Wearables Usage Has Dropped Significantly - but There's a Silver Lining.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 26 Aug. 2016, https://www.businessinsider.com/wearables-usage-has-dropped-significantly-but-theres-a-silver-lining-2016-8.
Wearable Technology for the Elderly: Underutilized Solutions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/308006477_Wearable_technology_for_the_elderly_Underutilized_solutions.
Olmedo-Aguirre, José Oscar, et al. “Remote Healthcare for Elderly People Using Wearables: A Review.” Biosensors, vol. 12, no. 2, 2022, p. 73., https://doi.org/10.3390/bios12020073.