It's not always possible to have a nurse or caregiver nearby, and a smart health watch can fill some of the gaps in care. These watches can provide details about heart rate, blood oxygen levels, nutrition, stress levels and sleep patterns. Not only does this provide critical information about well-being, but they may also catch a change in health before it gets too serious.
Smartwatches also provide access to GPS coordinates. For seniors who may lose their bearings once in a while, these watches can easily guide them home. Better yet, they can also give a loved one access to the person's location if they need help reaching their destination.
Seniors who wish to be more active can also use the smartwatch to increase their activity levels as they track daily steps.
Some of the top-rated watches for seniors include:
When you're a senior at risk of falling, you want the peace of mind that someone will be there to help you get up. A medical alert system has an emergency button that relays to a monitoring service, which then dispatches help. For residents in an assisted living community, this alert tends to go to the monitoring station on-site. Home-based medical alert systems relay to an off-site monitoring service that alerts either the loved ones, a caregiver or staff of the monitoring service.
These systems are available as a small, wearable device or wall-mounted. Some of the best-known options on the market include:
Certain health conditions may require constant monitoring and may dissuade you from pursuing your interests. Before, blood pressure monitors, glucometers and pulse oximeters might have been portable, but they weren't fun to carry around due to their size. Wearable monitors now change this thanks to sleek, watch-like designs.
Blood pressure watches detect vibrational changes in the bloodstream. When these pulses are too low, the alert will sound for low blood pressure, and the opposite for a high blood pressure situation.
The Med Watch Blood Pressure watch uses photoplethysmography (PPG) technology to monitor the blood pressure and other physiological indicators such as daily steps, fitness, sleep and blood oxygen levels. It normally retails for $150.
Glucometers no longer need a pinprick to determine the blood sugar levels. Subcutaneous implants that can last up to 10 days monitor the blood sugar levels every 5 minutes and send the results to your phone or connected device. These are suitable for those who have type 1 and 2 diabetes. The Medtronic Guardian Connect uses a transmitter and sensors to relay the information. The transmitter costs $180 and lasts for up to a year, and the sensors cost $60 per box, which is a month's supply.
Oxygen levels can drop at a moment's notice, and it's not easy to notice at first, as you might think you're just getting tired. Wearable oximeters can alert you when your blood oxygen saturation levels are dangerously low through wearable tech such as the Wellue O2ring Pulse Oximeter, which offers Bluetooth connectivity to supported devices. It also offers free tracking software and is priced around the $180 mark.
