BodyGuard: A Case Study of Telecare Product Innovation and Development

Telecare is personal and environmental sensors that support people to remain safe and independent in their own home for longer. Telecare plays an important role in addressing the challenges of an ageing population. However, many people do not wear the most common form provided, the community alarm, for reasons that include the way that it looks. In the UK, a contributing factor to this problem is that manufacturers cater to telecare service providers (e.g. local authorities) and as a result, service users are not involved in design processes. This paper describes a redesign of the community alarm by a leading manufacturer, involving participatory design activities with users and the wider public, and design internships. The main innovation of the new community alarm, called BodyGuard, is that it connects with the user’s smartphone to enable it to work outside the home. We report insights and lessons learned during the innovation process, within the context of social care reforms giving people more control and choice over the services that they receive