Promising new tools for fall detection attract interest from caregivers and innovators alike. Smartwatches in particular seem well-positioned to help given their portability and connectivity. But, is a Smartwatch a good alternative to having an in-home medical alert system in place? We don’t think so, here’s why.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on the older population across the world, highlighting the critical need for increased monitoring and care for this vulnerable group. The outbreak has exposed the challenges faced by older adults, particularly in terms of access to information, resources, and support during times of crisis. Caring for older loved ones with significant impairments, like dementia, placed a major financial strain on family caregivers. This intense level of caregiving was costly and reduced caregivers' ability to work and earn incomes.
As a result of these strains, many family caregivers struggled financially. Some had to spend their savings, take on debt or skip their own medical care. The heavy time commitment of intensive caregiving also forced some caregivers to reduce work hours, take leaves of absence, quit jobs or retire early in order to provide sufficient care.
Due to this, many family caregivers sought new ways to take care of aging loved ones. This need helped drive adoption of smartwatch technology like the Apple Watch. As one of the most popular wearable devices, the Apple Watch caught on among older users and their caregivers seeking touchpoint-free communication and health monitoring during the pandemic's height when in-person interaction was risky.
Family caregivers found that the Apple Watch was useful for emergency care because it was marketed with the following features:
The Apple Watch's fall detection feature uses an accelerometer to detect falls and will automatically contact emergency services if it detects the user has been immobile for about a minute after the fall. This can help alert authorities if the wearer is unconscious or injured after a fall.
By holding down the side button, users can activate Siri Emergency SOS on the Apple Watch. This will call emergency services and share the wearer's location with dispatchers. Loved ones will also receive a text message notifying them of the emergency call.
The Apple Watch's Medical ID function allows storage of crucial health details like allergies, medications, and emergency contacts that can assist emergency responders in the event medical attention is needed.
Before promoting smartwatches as senior safety solutions, their accuracy must be proven among elderly users. While your Apple Watch may someday aid independence, premature adoption could potentially put lives at risk. Why do we say that?
A 2022 study examined the Apple Watch Series 5's ability to detect falls from wheelchairs among young adults. While the technology shows promise, the research highlighted important limitations to consider.
The study found the Apple Watch failed to detect just over 95% of intentional falls in a controlled setting. For vulnerable seniors who fall regularly, such a high false negative rate (failing to detect actual falls that occur) could delay emergency response and treatment and prove fatal.
Since falls can seriously injure or incapacitate elderly individuals, fall detection systems must reliably trigger help. However, the study showed even falls among healthy younger participants weren't consistently identified. Real-world senior falls may pose even greater challenges to detect.
Factors like variations in impact forces for frailer bodies and prevalence of disabilities weren't fully represented. More research is needed before we can safely trust a smartwatch’s performance in seniors' diverse living environments over long periods.
Coming back to the emergency features the Apple Watch offers, it has significant limitations when it comes to ensuring the safety of older adults. Firstly, its communication capabilities are limited, often relying on connectivity to a family member's phone or simply dialing 911. If a fall occurs and the designated contact is unavailable, there may be a dangerous delay in response.
Additionally, the Apple Watch lacks a direct connection to a 24/7 emergency center, making it difficult to clearly communicate the situation and any specific needs or instructions. Even the device's fall detection feature, while well-intentioned, has been shown to be prone to false negatives, potentially putting older adults at risk.
Another key factor that may affect older adults' willingness to use wearable devices like the Apple Watch is how difficult they perceive the technology to be. Research shows that if people feel a new product is complicated or confusing to use, they are less likely to adopt it. This perceived complexity can pose a major barrier, especially for older generations.
The many functions and features of a smartwatch could frustrate seniors and make the product seem too challenging to operate reliably during an emergency. Older individuals are more hesitant to try new technologies if they seem overly complex. This perception of complexity may prevent some elders from seeing wearables as a useful solution for monitoring their health and safety. Therefore, it is no wonder that the adoption of Smartwatches for senior care has been slow.
In contrast, dedicated in-home medical alert systems from providers like Carenami offer distinct advantages specifically tailored to older adults' needs.
While the Apple Watch has limited emergency calling capabilities during certain hours, Carenami provides true 24/7 monitoring through their UL-Listed Professional Emergency Response Center. Trained operators are standing by at all times to handle any emergency.
Carenami's systems are plugged into an electrical outlet, with a sealed, 24-hour backup battery that never needs daily recharging - eliminating the inconvenience of keeping an Apple Watch charged regularly.
Carenami's systems feature a two-way voice communicator that allows seniors to clearly speak with and listen to trained operators and emergency responders. The Apple Watch has much more limited calling functions without this clarity.
Carenami's fall detection, using multiple sensors and algorithms refined over years, detects falls precisely with way fewer false readings compared to the Apple Watch. While false positives (detecting a fall that did not actually occur) may occur, Carenami's 24/7 monitoring ensures operators promptly contact seniors to assess potential falls. Even false positives are better than missed falls, as undetected falls due to incorrect negative readings can risk health.
Seniors and their families can feel secure knowing a simple push of Carenami's alert button or call out for help is all that's needed to trigger an emergency response - avoiding potential complexities that may emerge with learning to use new wearable technology.
While smartwatches show promise for aiding senior safety and independence, current devices still face major limitations that make them unreliable alternatives to dedicated medical alert systems. Most smartwatches require regular charging, have inconsistent fall detection abilities, and may seem too complex for comfortable long-term use by older populations.
It may just be too soon to rely on your Apple Watch for taking care of your aging loved ones. A full medical alert system, specifically built to address an aging older adult’s needs is far more safer and reliable. Medical alert systems address the smartwatches’ shortcomings through round-the-clock professional monitoring, simple push-button emergency response, precise fall detection backed by extensive data, and reliable operation tailored specifically for senior needs.
As technology evolves, smartwatches may get better at helping seniors age in place. But for dependable emergency monitoring today, a dedicated in-home system remains the superior choice to ensure rapid assistance is always available when it’s needed the most.
