Market scope note: This article covers materials from both Korea and the United States. Each piece of information is marked in the text with 🇰🇷 Korea or 🇺🇸 U.S. to indicate which country it applies to.
On the nights your parent spends alone, the worry that probably weighs on you most is: "What if they suddenly collapse and nobody knows?" To ease that anxiety, both Korea and the United States operate government- and privately-run emergency detection and digital care systems. Let's take a careful look at what services exist and how to apply for them.
🇰🇷 Korea The Ministry of Health and Welfare's 응급안전안심서비스 (Emergency Safety Care Service) is a care system that uses ICT equipment to respond around the clock, without in-person contact, to emergencies involving seniors and people with disabilities who live alone. Once a person is enrolled, the full set of in-home devices — including a smoke and heat detector, an emergency call button, an activity sensor, a door sensor, and a gateway — is installed in the home at no charge. If the smoke and heat detector senses heat or smoke, or if the senior presses the emergency call button, an automatic report is sent to 119. If no activity is detected for a set period of time, data is transmitted to a local emergency care worker, triggering a phone check and, if needed, an on-site visit.
🇰🇷 Korea The government covers 100% of the equipment and management costs for this service, which amount to approximately 50,000 won per month. Seniors living alone can apply regardless of income level; households of two or more people must meet economic criteria such as being recipients of basic living benefits, near-poverty-level support, or the basic pension. As of 2026, Korea is projected to have fully entered a super-aged society in which more than 22% of the total population is 65 or older, and the government has steadily expanded the service's reach. One local government's data, for example, shows that the number of service recipients in that area grew from 2,714 in 2023 to 3,266 in 2025. Applications can be submitted in person at a community center (주민센터) or through a local senior welfare center (노인복지관). Family members applying on behalf of a parent need to bring a copy of the senior's ID and a letter of authorization.
🇰🇷 Korea In 2026, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is launching new initiatives, including an AI smart-home-based care service and a pilot program for AI welfare consultation and crisis detection. Where the existing 응급안전안심서비스 focused on "detecting an anomaly and then making contact," these new AI-based programs are evolving toward predicting crisis situations in advance through analysis of daily living patterns. Because rollout to the field is expected to expand under the Korea Social Security Information Service (한국사회보장정보원), there is a strong likelihood that the scope of services will broaden further in the future.
🇺🇸 U.S. In the United States, similar devices have long been available under the name PERS (Personal Emergency Response System). They come in many forms — wearable button devices, fall-detection sensors, and mobile devices that combine GPS tracking — and the global PERS market in 2026 is estimated at approximately 10.7 billion dollars (roughly 14 trillion won). Unlike Korea's 응급안전안심서비스, PERS in the United States operates mostly as a private monthly subscription service, with costs varying depending on the type of device and the level of service.
🇺🇸 U.S. There are ways to reduce the financial burden. As of 2026, more than 34 million beneficiaries are enrolled in Medicare Advantage (메디케어 어드밴티지), and some plans offer supplemental benefits related to bathroom safety devices or remote access technology. Special Needs Plans (SNP), designed for lower-income individuals, are particularly noteworthy: as of 2026, 47% include bathroom safety device coverage and 44% include remote access technology coverage. If someone is a dual beneficiary holding both Medicaid (메디케이드) and Medicare, there are cases where support linked to long-term care services is available at little to no cost, so we strongly encourage you to review the benefits detail of your enrolled plan.
Comparing the two countries' services, Korea provides full government-funded equipment installation and operating costs, but eligibility criteria apply; the United States has a wider range of options through a private-market-centered approach, but the out-of-pocket cost is comparatively higher. What the two have in common is that neither stops at "just one button." Technology is advancing rapidly — activity monitoring, AI anomaly detection, GPS tracking, automatic fall detection — making it increasingly important to carefully choose the device and service that best fits your parent's situation.
Sources: Ministry of Health and Welfare press release, "응급안전안심서비스 노후 장비 9만대 교체" (Replacing 90,000 aging devices in the Emergency Safety Care Service for 300,000 seniors living alone) (April 2026); 이지복지, "2026 응급안전안심서비스 신청방법 총정리" (March 2026); Goheung-gun (고흥군) Community Welfare Division 2026 work plan; 틸노트, "독거 노인 돌봄 서비스 2026"; Ministry of Health and Welfare 2026 budget proposal (September 2025); 중앙사회서비스원, "2026년 보건복지부 AI 기반 신규 사업 설명회"; KFF, "Medicare Advantage 2026 Spotlight" (January 2026); Mordor Intelligence, "Medical Alert System/PERS Market Report" (2026); Market Research Future, "PERS Market Size Report" (2026).
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.