Medical Alert For Aging Parent

[ photo by cottonbro ]

How will your aging parent contact help?

I wrote last week about Becky and her decision to live alone in an apartment rather than moving into a senior apartment or an assisted living apartment. What made Becky’s daughter feel better about making that move were a few things that were put into place to help improve Becky’s safety.

A caregiver was set up to come into her home three times a week to assist with some household chores and to assist Becky in showering (something that should not be attempted alone if someone is a high fall risk).  In addition, Becky’s daughter was very concerned at how her mom would get help if she were to have a fall and not be able to get up on her own. It is this topic, the ability to get emergency help when alone, that I want to spend some time talking about this week. 

The more commonly used medical alert systems are those such as Life Alert and Philips Lifeline. I will spend some time writing about these various options in a future post. I think these are wonderful options for those living at home who are at a great risk of fall or might need other emergency assistance.

The option I want to focus on this week, however, is what my patient Becky elected to use. Becky told me she wasn’t ready to wear something that “made her look old.” Of course, there are times when safety must come before looks, but in this case, her choice didn’t make her look old, and if anything, made her look more tech savvy!

Apple Watch Series 6 is a lifeline!

The option Becky chose was the Apple Watch Series 6. Before I go on, I want to be clear that I have no financial gains in promoting this product. I have personal experience with the product, however, and have encouraged several family members to use this product based on the features I am getting ready to describe. These features are what is available on the Apple Watch Series 6. Some of these features might be available on some of the older models, but I would definitely check before purchasing an older model.

So the first thing to remember is to purchase the watch with the cellular connection. The importance of this is that the watch can function as a phone. An actual cell phone does not have to be nearby in order for the wearer of the watch to access all of the features, including calling and texting.

The main thing that must occur for the Apple Watch to be helpful is for the wearer to 1) put the watch on each morning and 2) charge the watch every night. The best way around this is to put the charger right by your loved one’s bed so that it is there to charge at night when he or she gets into bed and then right there to put on as soon as he or she wakes.

I would even advise that your loved one put it on if the need to get out of bed in the middle of the night occurs. This was Becky’s plan, because she actually fell and broke her hip in the middle of the night when she got out of bed to use the restroom.  The watch is waterproof to a certain depth, so it can be worn in the shower, so no need to remove it during the time when the risk of falling is very high.

Automatic alert.

Falling and alerting someone for help when a fall occurs is what initially drew me to the Apple Watch. The Apple Watch is able to detect if the wearer has taken a hard fall. It will connect the person with emergency services if that person is immobile.

The watch will ask the wearer if he/she is okay and then will give the chance for that person to say they are okay or to call for help. If no response is provided, emergency services will be called. This feature alone sold the watch for me when I advised my dad to purchase it for my mom.

If you feel confident your loved one will take the time to put the watch on each morning, then this is a great option for your loved one who is at a high risk for falls to be able to get help if this unfortunate event happens. 

There are other features that also make the Apple Watch Series 6 an excellent option for monitoring loved ones while they are home alone. The obvious one is that it is literally a phone on your loved one’s wrist. They just have to ask Siri to call you or anyone else, or you can call your loved one to check in. 

Some other fantastic health features are that it can monitor blood oxygen levels through a specialized sensor on the phone. It monitors the wearer’s heart rate and can also generate an ECG through some simple steps. While these results are not automatically transmitted to medical services, the readings are recorded so that it can be shown to a medical expert if needed. It will say the type of rhythm the heart is in so that your loved one will know if emergency services should be called. I do want to make it clear that this feature does not notify a person if they are having a heart attack, stroke or blood clot. 

The watch is also able to track sleep patterns, track and encourage exercise, and even put someone through a little deep breathing exercise to promote relaxation. I am an advocate for the Apple Watch and feel it is under utilized in the elderly population.

Don’t let the technology scare you away.

The fact that it is so technologically advanced makes it seem a bit too daunting for the elderly population, however, it is very user friendly and actually quite simple to use. You might need to set up the watch with all the necessary apps and set up all the phone numbers, but once that is done, it can be a really simple and useful tool to help keep your loved one home alone with the ability to get help when needed. 

(Related blog post: Falls At Home)

Does your aging parent use an Apple watch? Leave a comment with your experience.

© 2021 Jessica Kluetz, DO