Longhua District rolled out a new smart service system combining Internet technologies with elderly care service.

The service system is driven by the “Digital Longhua” strategy, which explored the boosting of the development of digital economy, advance digital-driven urban development and the promotion of digital governance at the grass-roots level.

The service system features a core elderly care service platform along with six subdistrict service centers and several community service centers.

One of the highlights of this system is a smart home device for elder people living alone. The device daily broadcasts weather forecasts at 6:30 a.m. and a health knowledge radio program at 6:00 p.m. When there is an emergency, the user can press the emergency button on the device to seek help from the subdistrict service center or contact a professional elderly care agency via the 24-hour service hotline. The device also can automatically keep track of the user’s regular activities and send feedback to staffers at the service center and the user’s families if any abnormal activity is monitored.

A smart home device for elder people living alone. ilonghua.com

The district has so far introduced the devices in more than 100 households of elders since last August. A number of other smart devices have been provided to nursing homes and other elderly care facilities in Longhua District, including GPS walking sticks and smart emergency alarms.

The operation and functions of the smart devices are guaranteed by the core elderly-care service platform located at the elderly service center in Guanhu Subdistrict. The platform utilizes new technologies, including cloud computing, big data, facial recognition and AI (artificial intelligence) technologies, to provide all-around and one-stop services for residents over 60 and their family members.

The district’s smart elderly care service system has been recognized at the national level and has been accredited as a pilot demonstration zone for the application of smart elderly care. The Longhua District Civil Affairs Bureau will continue to upgrade the elderly care service centers and to establish elderly care service network at different levels.

Next, Longhua District will connect the elderly-care service platform to the district’s big data platform so as to share the information among different smart devices and government departments and cooperate with Meituan to provide more tailored services for the elderly, according to a staffer with the Longhua District Civil Affairs Bureau.