People using aged care services form the most diverse subset of the population, their needs shaped by a spectrum of physical, cognitive, and emotional realities.
This diversity, coupled with the deeply personal experience of age-related decline, poses unique challenges for designing effective technologies. Umps, an Australian company, discovered this through its 2020 launch of a smart-home technology aimed at revolutionising home care for older adults.
Though initially promising, the product failed to scale, leading Umps to pivot to developing a personal alarm. The key insight was the importance of agency, the ability for users to maintain control over their care.
The genesis of the Umps Smart Home
The Umps Smart Home emerged from a personal mission.
In 2016, Umps CEO Adam Jahnke sought to support his 90-year-old grandfather, who lived alone and was growing frail. A fall while putting out the bins prompted the family to intensify their care, but Jahnke wanted a non-intrusive way to monitor wellbeing.
“He was tech-savvy but uneasy about motion sensors or cameras,” Jahnke recalls. “We set up a smart plug on his kettle, used for his Nescafé Blend 43, sending text messages whenever he boiled it. It was a subtle sign that things were normal.”
The smart plugs, fitted between appliances and wall sockets, tracked power consumption to map daily routines. Deviations, like a kettle unused by 11 a.m. or activity at 3 a.m., triggered alerts. Jahnke’s analysis of his grandfather’s data revealed patterns tied to chronic pain, inspiring the creation of Umps.
With philanthropic funding and a partnership with a Melbourne home care provider, Umps scaled the solution to 1,000 seniors under Australia’s Home Care Package program by 2018.
Designed for simplicity, the plugs required no batteries or maintenance and targeted appliances such as kettles, TVs, microwaves, fridges, and bedside lamps to reflect daily activities.
Despite its ingenuity, the smart-plug solution struggled to gain traction. “We noticed the uptake wasn’t consistent,” Jahnke says. “We reflected on why people rejected smart plugs but accepted personal alarms, even if they didn’t always wear their pendants.” The answer lay in the emotional and psychological complexities of aging.
The weight of emotional barriers
Age-related disabilities or impairments mark a profound shift for older adults, often forcing them to confront their mortality.
“It’s a physical and emotional change,” Jahnke notes. “People don’t want to think about getting older or dying. There’s an inherent denial that creates resistance to care.” This resistance deepens as autonomy erodes, with seniors relying on others for tasks they once managed independently.
Decisions about medical care, aged care services, or daily routines may increasingly be made by others, diminishing their sense of control.
Passive monitoring technologies, like Umps’ smart plugs, can intensify this sense of disempowerment. Though designed to be unobtrusive, the plugs collected data without user input, positioning seniors as subjects rather than participants in their care. “You’re introducing technology into a context where autonomy is already fading,” Jahnke says.
“If the user has no control over the data or alerts, that’s a significant barrier.” Many seniors resisted technologies that felt like surveillance, regardless of their potential to enable proactive care.
This challenge resonates beyond Umps. A 2021 report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare highlighted that older adults prioritise independence, often rejecting technologies perceived as undermining dignity.
Globally, numerous sensor-based care companies have struggled to scale, hindered by insufficient focus on user agency. Jahnke believes this resistance is enduring: “It’s not something people will simply overcome. Technology must be designed to address it.”
Embracing agency through personal alarms
Umps’ pivot to personal alarms addressed the need for agency directly. Unlike smart plugs, personal alarms allow users to initiate alerts, restoring control.
“Hundreds of thousands use personal alarms because they decide when to press the button,” Jahnke explains. This user-driven approach aligns with the desire for independence, even as seniors accept support.
Traditional personal alarms, however, carried their own burdens. Often described as “cowbells” or likened to “rappers’ chains,” they were bulky and stigmatising. Umps reimagined the category through co-design with older adults, creating lightweight, customisable pendants resembling consumer tech, such as Apple products or Google Home devices.
“We aimed to eliminate stigma and promote independence,” Jahnke says. “People say our alarms look sleek, not like medical devices.”
Umps also addressed practical shortcomings. Many older alarms lacked cloud connectivity, obscuring performance oversight. Umps introduced real-time monitoring to ensure devices were always online.
To meet diverse needs, they offered variants: some require no charging for those with dementia, while others support active seniors outside the home. Today, thousands of older adults and people with disabilities across Australia use Umps’ alarms, deployed in retirement villages, home care packages, and under the Commonwealth Home Support Program through geat2GO.
Agency in residential care settings
While sensor-based care has faltered in home care, its potential in residential aged care appears more promising.
In residential settings, where monitoring is expected and needs are higher, passive technologies may encounter less resistance. Jahnke observes, “Residential care is a structured environment where people anticipate oversight. People expect staff to monitor their health and safety, and build a close rapport with those who work there. Innovative monitoring is enhancing a care model that already exists.”
A 2022 study by the Aged Care Research and Industry Innovation Australia found that 70% of families in residential care supported sensor-based technologies for safety, provided they were transparent and non-stigmatising.
Barriers remain, including staff training and workflow integration. Umps remains committed to home care, driven by its mission to support independence, but Jahnke acknowledges that sensor-based care may first take root in residential settings, where the operational model aligns with proactive monitoring.
Redefining Proactive Care
Umps’ pivot does not signal the end of proactive care but a redefinition of it. The company is exploring the use of voice to gain insight into a person’s wellbeing, enabling seniors to discuss their wellbeing with their Umps personal alarm. AI then analyses responses to identify anomalies and flag new needs, while respecting user consent.
“They are in control. It’s proactive yet respects the person’s agency,” Jahnke says. As technology evolves, the next generation of seniors, accustomed to devices like fitness trackers, may be more open to data-driven care. A 2023 McKinsey report projects that by 2030, 60% of seniors globally will engage with health-monitoring technologies, driven by improved design and greater familiarity.
The autonomy paradox underscores a core truth: technology must empower users to succeed. Umps’ transition from smart plugs to personal alarms shows that agency is not a barrier to innovation but its foundation.
By prioritising user control, co-designing with seniors, and addressing emotional realities, the aged care sector can harness technology to enhance care and dignity, meeting the diverse needs of its most varied population.
