Living safely at home

14. June 2020 Published by Jana Greyling

Being able to still live in a familiar setting in old age is what many people wish for – smart alerting systems like those from Gigaset then offer an opportunity to make the home safer. Gigaset as an established smart home and smart care provider is now working together with the German Senior Citizens’ League to inform older people living alone and their relatives about the growing opportunities available through technical solutions. The German Senior Citizens’ League has been championing the diverse interests of older people for many years.

It rigorously advocates the right conditions so that older people can live and work according to their individual needs, and also receive full care if their health is impaired or they are they require long-term care.

“Smart technology such as a smart alerting system can offer people who live alone in their home a high degree of security and hence independence,” says Junior Professor Dr. Claudia Müller. The scientist is head of the ‘IT for the aging society’ project at the Institute for Information Systems at the University of Siegen. “Smart technology not only allows devices to be controlled by voice assistant, but also automatic regulation of the lighting – in an emergency it can also send a reliable call for help.”

Smart home expertise at Gigaset

Gigaset can look back on around eight years’ experience in the smart home sector. The Smart Care System launched in 2018 is based essentially on insights and experiences from the smart home sector.

The senior citizens assistance system ‘Gigaset smart care’ can notice irregularities in the daily routine of an older person living alone and, if desired, notify relatives. That’s possible thanks to various smart sensors in the senior citizens’ home. The system also includes an alarm button and a senior-friendly cordless phone for sending an SOS to to friends, relatives or neighbors without any difficulty.

Edgar Schollmeyer, VP Smart Care

“We are convinced that digital assistance systems can assume an important role in supporting care at home,” says Edgar Schollmeyer, VP Smart Care at Gigaset. “For us, sensor-based smart systems in particular represent the future of digitalized care. It’s important to us to provide information about the opportunities offered by such solutions, which is why we’re cooperating with the German Senior Citizens’ League.”

Gigaset is campaigning for the inclusion of digital assistance systems in the catalog of therapeutic appliances of Germany’s National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds (GKV). Up to now, the interest group of the statutory health insurance funds has only allowed conventional emergency call systems to be included. “Together with the German Senior Citizens’ League we want to raise awareness among families for dealing at an early stage with the challenges that arise when an older family member lives alone. We also see that as a social duty,” Schollmeyer goes on to say.

Information on the initiative can be found here. For more information on the Gigaset smart care system, click here.