This article is also available in:
Deutsch
When people think of a smart home, they often picture a fully integrated, connected system that costs a lot of money and has to be designed by professionals. For most of the problems that arise in everyday life as we get older, that’s not necessary at all. Often, simple, accessible solutions placed exactly where they’re needed are enough to increase comfort and safety.
Günther Ohland, a veteran of the smart living industry, has been involved in smart living for decades and has helped shape its development in Germany as chairman of the board of SmartHome Initiative Deutschland e.V. For decades. Now, at 77, he himself belongs to the target group that can benefit most from these smart solutions.
You might also be interested in
In this interview, he shares which small gadgets have proven useful in his daily life, how much they cost, and who can install them if you no longer want to climb a ladder yourself.
What to Expect in This Interview
- Which smart gadgets under 100 euros solve common everyday problems—from finding your way to the bathroom at night to a doorbell you can no longer hear—
- how family members can check in from afar to make sure everything is okay at home without monitoring their parents,
- where simple solutions reach their limits and when a home emergency call system or professional sensor technology becomes a good idea,
- who can help with installation if no contractor is willing to come out for such a minor job.
SBC: You’ve spent your entire professional life working on smart living, and you’re now 77 years old. What do you consider truly “smart” these days?
Ohland: I’ve been part of the target audience myself for a long time now, and I no longer tell people—as a young person—how they should live in their old age. I like technology—otherwise I wouldn’t have spent my whole life working with it—but for me, it always has to be useful. It can’t just be a gimmick where something spins or flashes somewhere.
The question is always: What problem am I facing in my current situation? Is there a technical solution for it? And will it actually help me? I don’t need to go to a specialist and have my entire house wired for 30,000 euros if I only need very specific, targeted solutions to my problems.
SBC: Where do you start when people your age ask you for an initial solution for comfort and security?
Ohland: Almost always with what’s called a “slipper light.” The older you get, the more often you get up at night to go to the bathroom. And you end up tripping over your own shoes or the threshold because you don’t want to turn on the light, which is very bright. We used to keep a flashlight on the nightstand, too. But a soft light that guides you from the bedroom to the bathroom—and back again—is much more pleasant.
With LEDs, it’s easy these days: You stick an LED strip to the baseboard—ideally at the bottom of a cabinet or under the bed. You connect this strip to a motion sensor, which is also available as part of a single unit. To avoid having to deal with loose cables or even time-consuming chiseling or wiring work, the system also runs on batteries that last at least half a year. If it costs me three euros every six months, that peace of mind is definitely worth it to me.
SBC: Many people are hesitant to install something like this themselves. Who can help if no contractor is willing to come out for this small project?
Ohland: If you’re still in good health, you can do this on your own, or ask your children, grandchildren, or teenagers in the neighborhood for help. They’re still more mobile, and in my experience, they’re very happy to take on this kind of task if you ask them. But that’s exactly where the big hurdle lies, because many people find it hard to admit that they’d like—and actually need—this kind of help.
Here at the Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund, there’s a place where you can go two days a week with your cell phone or tablet to have things set up for you. They provide general advice on these low-threshold solutions and usually know someone in the neighborhood who can come by and install them. I don’t need a contractor for that, and if he charges 120 euros for travel to and from the site and only works for five minutes, you’ll be annoyed about it for weeks.
Repair Cafés are also a great place to go, because there are technicians there who are probably happy to come by and fix something if you ask them to.
SBC: Next topic: Hearing. What do you recommend to people who can no longer reliably hear the doorbell?
Ohland: I hear this all the time—for example, because someone isn’t wearing their hearing aids at the moment or doesn’t want to wear them at all. In this case, a portable visual alert can help, so that even on the patio or balcony, you can see it flashing when someone rings the doorbell.
When I describe this to people as a “smart home,” some of them laugh. But it’s smart because it’s technology that solves a real problem. If you can hear well, you don’t need it. And that’s exactly the point: that everyone should only buy what’s missing from their own daily lives.
Here’s how to proceed
- Identify the problem: Think about what specifically is difficult or uncertain in your daily life.
- Choose a solution: Start by purchasing the device that solves the biggest problem.
- Consider data privacy: When it comes to cameras and voice assistants, consciously decide whether an inexpensive device that transmits data abroad is sufficient for you—or whether you’d prefer a European solution, which is often more expensive but offers better data protection.
- Get help: Ask family, neighbors, repair cafés, or advice centers run by aid organizations before calling a professional. Often, you won’t even find a professional willing to come out for these small, simple fixes.
SBC: Many older people feel uneasy when the doorbell rings and they don’t know who’s outside. Is there a simple solution to this?
Ohland: The simplest solution I see most often: a Wi-Fi doorbell with a camera, starting at 50 euros, mounted right next to the front door. When it rings, you can see who’s at the door on your phone or tablet. Maybe you find it hard to get up from the couch, so this lets you see right away who’s there. Often, these systems also let you talk to the person at the door and even unlock the door from your tablet.
However, there’s a catch with these inexpensive cameras: almost all of them come from China, and the data is temporarily stored on a server there via the Internet. If you don’t want that, you’ll have to spend a little more money on a device with a European cloud.
In my experience with seniors, though, they don’t care about data protection in this context because they don’t associate it with any secrets—they just want to know who’s at the door. The personal benefit is more important to them than data protection.
SBC: Can the camera also be connected to the door lock, for example, for someone who has difficulty walking?
Ohland: Yes, and that’s a great example. If I have difficulty walking, I can see on the screen that the driver from Meals on Wheels is standing at the door. Then I unlock the door using an app, so I no longer have to hand over a key.
In my experience, the initial cost ranges from 100 to 150 euros—a one-time expense. If you’re building a new home at age 45, you can, of course, plan for a comprehensive solution right away. But as a senior, I just want my current problem solved, and often a single purchase is enough to do that.
SBC: Is there a solution that really belongs in every household, regardless of age?
Ohland: I think water alarms are very useful, and by that I don’t mean alarms for flooding. I mean for situations where you’ve forgotten to connect the washing machine’s drain hose, and it starts up anyway. Then the device sounds a loud alarm, and you still have a chance to prevent major damage.
This can happen to anyone, but it’s more common as dogs get older. And there are also dogs who enjoy pulling the hose out. A water alarm like this costs less than 50 euros and actually makes a great Christmas gift. When the kids ask what you want—and you already have everything you need—instead of some nonsense, you can treat yourself to a door camera or a water alarm and have it installed right away.
SBC: Many family members live far away and wonder how they can find out if their parents are doing okay. What advice do you give them?
Ohland: I often hear that from children whose parents are actually in good health, but who live 100 kilometers away and can’t check in as often. With a home emergency response system, you can press a button once a day to let someone know you’re okay. But especially when early-stage dementia sets in, people tend to forget to do this, and then it causes a big panic.
A better solution is one that automatically detects when life is proceeding as normal. For example, a motion detector with a reverse function. It alerts you if no movement has been detected for a certain period of time. You could also use the light switch in the bathroom or a coffee maker for this. After all, if no one turns on the light all morning and no coffee is made, something is probably wrong. And then you call and, if in doubt, ask the neighbors to check on the place.
You have to think this through a bit more carefully and adapt it to the home. But it’s worth it, because it solves a real problem for younger people who don’t want to monitor their parents, but simply want to know if things aren’t going as they should.
SBC: Such systems often don’t trigger an alert until hours later, whereas every minute counts in the event of a fall or a heart attack. Where do you see the limits of simple solutions?
Ohland: In terms of safety, these solutions fall short of a home emergency response system. When the situation becomes critical from a medical standpoint, the doctor usually recommends a home emergency response system anyway—and that’s the right thing to do. Many people, however, say they wouldn’t want such a device in their home because visitors might see it and think they’re frail. And until it actually becomes necessary, discreet smart solutions are much more convenient.
In addition to assistive solutions with fall detection technology, there are also combined sensors that were originally developed for private households and are now also used in German nursing homes. They detect falls and, via a microphone, detect the sound of breaking glass or a smoke alarm going off, and relay this information to an alarm chain. While these systems cost more than a Christmas gift and must be installed by professionals, they solve several problems at once with a single purchase.
SBC: What do you think of voice assistants like Alexa?
Ohland: Of course, I’ve tried out a device like that, but it’s sitting in my drawer because I don’t need it. However, I can imagine many situations in which someone would be glad to have a voice assistant because they can’t move or have difficulty moving: for example, when lights or blinds can be controlled by voice, or when shaky hands make it hard to tap the right spot on a touchscreen.
I often hear the objection that these devices are listening all the time. But they have to—in order to hear the command. Otherwise, you’d have to press a button again. In the past, those who could afford it had domestic staff who also stood in the corner all the time and overheard what was being said in the home. A voice assistant simply waits for its trigger word and only then really listens to what’s being said. When I explain it that way, people start to think twice, because behind this objection often lies a reluctance toward the new—something they haven’t learned and reject out of caution.
SBC: Why do you think so few older people take advantage of these opportunities, despite the benefits?
Ohland: In the past, in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, all generations often lived under one roof, and you could hear what was happening next door through the thin walls and react accordingly. That hardly happens anymore. Families live far apart. We can’t try to organize modern life with solutions from the past. But anything new is met with skepticism. Do I really need this? Often, people’s expectations of the costs are also completely unrealistic.
On top of that, a 70-year-old today is no longer the same as a 70-year-old from 50 years ago. People have changed, and the old ways of thinking no longer apply. So anyone who needs help should feel free to ask. And anyone who says they’ve never held a screwdriver in their life will surely find someone in their family, neighborhood, or at a Repair Café who’s willing to take care of that ten-minute job for them.
Thank you very much for the interview!
About Günther Ohland: Günther Ohland is one of the pioneers of smart living in Germany and has shaped the development of the industry for decades, including in his role as head of SmartHome Initiative Deutschland e.V. He is currently Head of Conference Planning & Special Events at transformIT, which organizes the TransformIT Europe trade show and conference in Brussels.
