Improving communication in home care

There is no difference between emergencies and everyday problems in conventional systems.

Inadequate communication in homecare between patients and their relatives is an immense problem. Conventional product systems are designed for emergency use only and lead to an enormous stress situation for caregivers, since no distinction is made between a serious emergency or an everyday problem.

To research more about my target audience, I visited an elderly care home, to interview a nurse and look at their emergency system, talked with an emergency driver and visited a group of stroke patients over several weeks. I presented concepts and early prototypes to them, to receive feedback and improvement suggestions.

Accessible, active and passive communication modes for different scenarios in home care

Lifeline is a portable communication device designed for patients cared for at home by relatives. To bridge the gap between emergencies and everyday needs, there are three clearly defined modes:

• "Please come"– for light assistance (a gentle ring)
• "Talking" – a simple phone call function
• "Emergency" – activated by pulling at emergency ring

The interaction surfaces were intentionally designed with different sizes, textures, and shapes to ensure recognition even for users with visual impairments. To prevent accidental activation, the emergency button was designed as a ring that must be gently pulled. Emergency calls are first directed to a caregiver and, if unanswered, are automatically forwarded to the emergency services center. Additionally, a built-in fall sensor enables passive emergency calls.