Market Standard Notice: This article addresses materials from both Korea and the U.S. Each piece of information is marked in the text as 🇰🇷 Korea for Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. for the U.S. to indicate which country's standards apply.
One of the heaviest worries for adult children living far away is "the hours our parents spend alone." 🇰🇷 Korea As of 2024, among people aged 65 and older in Korea, the proportion living alone is 23.7%—roughly one in four older adults lives by themselves. In the same year, Korea's population aged 65 and over exceeded 20% of the total, officially entering the "super-aged society" threshold. Against this backdrop, both Korea and the U.S. are simultaneously accelerating efforts to integrate smart technology into care policy.
🇰🇷 Korea In May 2026, the Korean government officially announced a "Smart Home Initiative" that combines artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) technology with care services. Ten consortiums from the smart home sector and eight from the smart social welfare facilities sector competed, with one consortium ultimately selected from each category. This policy centers on personalized care based on individual health data and rapid response systems for emergency situations. In the future, the scope of application is planned to expand in stages based on demonstration results.
🇰🇷 Korea Alongside this, the "Personalized Care Service for the Elderly" (노인맞춤돌봄서비스)—which integrates six existing elderly care programs—saw significantly strengthened digital functionality starting in 2026. Digital care using AI sensors and smartwatches, as well as intensive post-discharge care, have been newly added. The service targets low-income, isolated, and vulnerable older adults aged 65 and over. A notable feature is the "Emergency Safety Assurance Service," which installs fire and activity detection sensors in the home and automatically connects to 119 in urgent situations. Applications can be made by visiting the eup/myeon/dong Administrative Welfare Center (행정복지센터) in your residential area or online via bokjiro.go.kr; relatives (up to 8th-degree blood relatives or 4th-degree in-laws) may also apply on behalf of the older adult.
🇺🇸 U.S. The United States is institutionalizing digital care through expansion of Medicare telehealth. With the passage of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, Medicare telehealth flexibility provisions have been extended through December 31, 2027. As a result, Medicare-eligible older adults can receive video and voice telehealth consultations from home without geographic restrictions. Particularly for older adults with limited internet access, audio-only telehealth services remain permitted through 2027, allowing many services to be accessed via voice phone calls alone.
🇺🇸 U.S. Additionally, Medicare has covered "Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM)" services since 2018, and the 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule update has further broadened its scope. The approach involves automatically transmitting health measurements taken at home—using FDA-approved devices such as blood pressure monitors, glucose meters, and pulse oximeters—to healthcare providers. Starting in 2026, the minimum measurement frequency threshold for billing has been lowered from the previous 16 days to as few as 2 days, allowing more patients to benefit. Medicare Part B covers 80% of costs, with the remaining 20% covered through patient cost-sharing or supplemental insurance.
When examining both countries' digital care policies together, a shared concern emerges: no matter how sophisticated the technology, its effectiveness can be compromised without adequate education and training for older adults unfamiliar with operating smart devices and for frontline care workers. 🇰🇷 Korea The Korean government has explicitly designated bridging the gap in technology adoption capacity as a long-term challenge of this policy. 🇺🇸 U.S. The U.S. also recognizes the reality that older adults in rural areas lack adequate internet access and therefore rely on voice phone services, which is why it maintains audio-only service options as a separate offering. To ensure that technology adoption does not widen care disparities, the role of family caregivers in helping older adults adapt to digital tools is more important than ever.
Source: Jeonan Workforce Newspaper (2026.05.07, Korea Smart Home Initiative announcement), Ministry of Health and Welfare 2026 Personalized Care Service for the Elderly Program Guide (1661-2129.or.kr), Bravo My Life (2026.01, Changing Elderly Welfare Policies in 2026), CareU News (2026.03, Statistics on Isolated Older Adults), National Data Repository 2024 Elderly Statistics, U.S. HHS Telehealth.hhs.gov Policy Update, CMS 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule, American Medical Association (2026.02, Medicare Telehealth Extension), Medical Economics (2026.05, RPM Policy), thoroughcare.net (2026.03, RPM Code Guidance).
Note: This article was compiled by AI from the sources cited above. We strive for accuracy, but for decisions about your specific situation, please confirm the latest guidance from a professional or the relevant agency.