Bucheon City Launches Cognitive Health Screenings Using 'AI Welfare Call' to Address Gaps Among Vulnerable Seniors
Early Identification of High-Risk Groups Through AI Voice Analysis
Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province announced on June 2 that it will officially launch a cognitive health screening program for seniors using the 'Onmaeum AI Welfare Call' system from this month until September.
The Onmaeum AI Welfare Call is a service in which an artificial intelligence (AI) callbot contacts welfare benefit recipients—including those on basic livelihood support and the near-poor—to promptly and accurately inform them of customized welfare benefits. The city will conduct remote cognitive health screenings using AI voice technology to address blind spots in cognitive health among seniors in vulnerable groups.
The AI Call Cognitive Health Screening is available to 1,000 vulnerable seniors aged 65 or older who have registered in advance. Those who have difficulty participating by phone can join via the web or app, while digital vulnerable groups will receive assistance from elderly care support workers, who will visit their homes to help them complete the assessment smoothly.
The first round of screening utilizes a shortened format powered by AI voice analysis technology. The system analyzes spoken answers to four questions within five minutes to screen for cognitive health status. This streamlines the previously complex dementia testing process and enables seniors to conveniently undergo the screening at home.
Those identified as high-risk during the screening will proceed to a second, standard-format assessment. If a participant is classified as high-risk in both the first and second assessments, they are quickly connected to cognitive health services at the Dementia Relief Center operated by the public health center.
Last year, as a nationwide first, the city conducted AI-based cognitive screening on 3,062 people as a pilot project, successfully identifying 371 individuals in the high-risk group at an early stage. Among them, 232 people were linked to the Dementia Relief Center for specialized assessments and ongoing management support.
The AI Call Cognitive Health Screening program is operated at no additional budgetary cost, thanks to the pro bono social contribution of the private company Able Therapeutics. Through this initiative, the city aims to establish a sustainable welfare model based on public-private collaboration.
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An official from Bucheon City stated, "As the importance of early detection and prevention of cognitive decline continues to grow, the AI Call Cognitive Health Screening serves as a digital inclusive welfare case that enables even seniors with mobility challenges to participate," adding, "We will continue to integrate digital technologies such as AI into the welfare field to enhance citizens' quality of life."
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