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I am almost 80 years old and will be by myself for 2 weeks in a few months and decided I need some kind of device in case I fall or get sick. I had a mild stroke 3 months ago, which felt like an extreme Vertigo attack. I was able to speak, not walk because I was so dizzy. And I have been diagnosed with focal Epilepsy a year ago and have 4 to 5 minutes seizures where I have an Aura first so I know to sit down, get safe and I go into amnesia, only lose consciousness for 1 or 2 minutes. And can easily call for help the first minute or two. So what kind of device should I get to call for help with these two issues? My Doctors at Mayo Clinic say I rebounded from the Stroke well (no cognitive or physical loss) and my Epilepsy Medication has controlled me not having a seizure for 8 months.
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Hi Mercuryrose,
I would look into getting an Apple Watch with Cellular service and then wear it all the time except when you are in bed sleeping and need to recharge it. If you fall, the watch detects this automatically and will call emergency services after 30 seconds unless you specifically say you are OK.
The watch can also monitor your heart rate and alert you if it's too fast, and has the ability to detect afib.
If you need help, you can say "Hey Siri, call 911" if you can't reach the watch to make the call. The watch itself is about $400 and cellular service is $15 a month.
In the long run, is less expensive than Life Alert, which can be $40-$80 per month. Life Alert, however, has one advantage in that the pendant runs on a battery that doesn't need to be recharged every day. Wearing a watch seems easier to me than wearing a pendant around your neck, and the watches are waterproof so you can wear them in the shower.