1. Introduction
Over the past 50 years life expectancy has increased
significantly and birth rates have fallen (Audit Commission,
2004), this has meant that alongside other nations, the
population of the United Kingdom (UK) is aging at an
unprecedented rate. While this development might be
celebrated as progress of the human condition and an
indicator of improvements in healthcare, nutrition and
working conditions (Costa-Font, 2008), it is often framed
pessimistically, with commentators arguing that it makes
current health, social care and pensions unsustainable
(Stauner, 2008). In the UK, some observers have gone so far
as to evoke the prospect of intergenerational conflict as
younger citizens begin to pay for older people's care without
receiving the same benefits of cheap housing, secure jobs and
a generous state pension (Willetts, 2010).
In response to this structural demographic change, a
succession of UK government policies has sought to minimize
the associated harms of what has been characterized as an
‘emerging time bomb’ and ‘silver tsunami’. These have included
various ‘healthy aging’ initiatives and the phasing out of
age-related tax benefits. In the arena of older people's care, the
‘alarm pendant’ – a device that can be attached around the neck
or wrist and used to summon assistance – has been promoted as
a convenient and cost-saving alternative to more traditional
human-centered care. Depending on the specifications, activating
the alarm either automatically contacts a carer or dials
through to an emergency response center. If the call goes to a
response center, the teleoperators can look at relevant medical
information and talk directly, via a wall-mounted intercom, to
the personwho activated the alarm. After assessing the situation,
the operator arranges the appropriate level of assistance by
Technological Forecasting & Social Change 93 (2015) 124–132
⁎ Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: gary.pritchard@ncl.ac.uk (G.W.