AI Companion Dogs Ease Loneliness... Depression Among Elderly Living Alone in Jeonnam Drops by 63%

The artificial intelligence (AI) companion dogs distributed by Jeollanam-do to elderly people living alone have been found to significantly enhance emotional stability and health management.

On June 22, Jeonnam Province announced the results of its analysis of the "AI Companion Dog Emotional Health One-Stop Support Project," revealing that participating seniors experienced a substantial decrease in feelings of depression and a notable improvement in their health management practices.

This project was launched after Jeonnam Province became the only metropolitan government in the country to be selected for the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Smart Social Service Pilot Project last year. The province supplied 100 elderly people living alone in Sangdong rental housing in Mokpo with care robots in the form of companion dogs.

The AI companion dogs not only engaged in conversations and emotional interaction with the seniors, but also supported daily life through a variety of features such as reminders for meals and medication, music playback, exercise routines, and quizzes.

The "AI Companion Dog Emotional Health One-Stop Support Establishment Project" conducted by Jeonnam Province is showing various positive effects, including improvement in depression among the elderly. Provided by Jeonnam Province

Participants interacted with the AI companion dogs an average of 54 times per day. The most preferred content was trot music (26.6%), while religious music such as hymns and Buddhist chants accounted for 15.3% of usage.

The effectiveness of the project was also confirmed with concrete figures. According to the senior depression scale test, the average depression score dropped by 63%, from 7.34 before the project to 2.74 after. Notably, among the 33 individuals previously classified as being at risk for depression, 32 recovered to normal levels, indicating a 97% improvement rate.

There were also positive changes in health management. The proportion of respondents who said they "take their medication on time" rose sharply from 20% before the project to 80% afterward.

Jeonnam Province considers this project to demonstrate the potential of a new care model that can address the growing issue of loneliness among elderly people living alone—an issue that is worsening with the rise of a super-aged society and the increase in single-person households.

Jung Gwangsun, Director of Health and Welfare at Jeonnam Province, stated, "AI care robots went beyond being simple machines to serve as emotional companions and health management partners for seniors. We will continue expanding AI-based care services to help resolve gaps in care coverage."

Meanwhile, building on the success of this project, Jeonnam Province has also been selected for this year's Ministry of Health and Welfare social service support program for underserved areas, and is expanding its AI companion robot-based integrated care service for elderly people living alone in island regions.

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