Everyone’s an Expert in Their Own Life 

What if the future of healthy ageing didn’t start in a lab or a boardroom — but around a kitchen table, in a market hall, or on a video call with someone just like you? For over two decades, Catherine Butcher has been making that idea a reality. From community safety and dementia care to participatory research and digital innovation, she’s built her career on one core belief: the best ideas begin with the people living the experience. “You don’t need a degree or a job title,” Catherine says. “Everyone has something to offer. That expertise is gold.” 

Today, Catherine is helping to lead Voice — a growing global community of citizens who are shaping the future of longer, better lives. Whether it’s sharing insights, testing prototypes, or challenging assumptions, Voice members are co-creators in the systems, services, and technologies that affect us all. 

 Technology That Cares — and Listens 

One of the key programmes Catherine works on is the Internet of Caring Things (IoCT) — an initiative exploring how technology can support us as we age. But IoCT isn’t about flashy gadgets. It’s about asking deeper questions: What do people really need to live well? How can tech help — and when might it get in the way? “Tech can be brilliant,” Catherine says, “but only if it’s built on real human experience.” 

Through IoCT, Voice members collaborate with researchers and companies to design technology that supports connection, independence, and wellbeing — from smarter home devices to reimagined mobility tools. And at every stage, people’s lived experience shapes the process. 

From Idea to Impact 

One example is the Symphysis project — a small Irish company developing a home-based device to help people with cancer manage painful fluid build-up in their lungs. Catherine and the team worked with Voice members to trial the device in a simulated home environment. “We saw where people got confused, what wasn’t intuitive, what needed to change,” she says. “That insight helped the company refine their design before going to market.” That device is now nearing FDA approval in the US — proof that involving people early doesn’t just make products better. It changes lives. 

The Evolution of Participation 

Catherine’s approach isn’t new — but it’s taken years for the wider world to catch up. From her early days with community research projects to developing dementia care training and co-founding her own consultancy, she’s been part of the movement pushing participatory practice from the margins to the mainstream. “Ten, fifteen years ago, this kind of work felt niche,” she says. “Now there’s a growing understanding that innovation is stronger, fairer, and more effective when people are involved from the beginning.” Voice, she believes, is the culmination of this shift — and also the launchpad for what’s next. A platform where curiosity meets contribution. A community where anyone, anywhere, can help shape what’s to come. 

Let’s Rethink Who the Experts Are 

In a world often dominated by professionals and policymakers, Catherine is helping reframe what expertise really means. It’s not about credentials — it’s about contribution. Insight. Lived experience. The courage to say, This matters to me, and here’s why. “We are all ageing from the moment we’re born,” she says. “So shaping how we age — and how we live — should include all of us.” Voice makes that shift possible. It creates space for people to speak from their lives — not just their résumés. And in doing so, it invites us to reimagine what progress looks like. 

Too often, innovation is driven by the few. Voice flips that. Through local workshops, online events, and street-level conversations in places like indoor markets, Catherine and her team are making it easier for people to get involved — on their terms. “We don’t expect everyone to come to us,” she says. “We go to them. Whether you’re 25 or 85, retired or just starting out, there’s a place for you here.” 

Members bring all kinds of insight — from professional experience to daily observations, frustrations, and dreams. Projects like Infuriating Objects, for example, tap into the design flaws we all encounter, turning irritation into inspiration. The result? A richer, more honest kind of innovation — grounded in how people actually live. 

Looking Forward: A Global Conversation 

So what’s next? Catherine sees Voice evolving into a truly global platform — a living community where people from different countries, cultures, and life stages can connect, share, and spark new ideas. “We’re building something that anyone can join, from anywhere,” she says. “A space for curiosity, creativity, and connection. That’s what the future needs.”