Fall detection for seniors - please advise?

[jon08]

I'm considering getting a senior family member an AW4 primarily for fall detection or to be able to make a call to us by herself from the watch in case of a fall (if fall detection didn't go off by itself). That's pretty much it (and of course it will be useful if she can answer a call from the wrist sometimes rather than rushing to another room to pick up the phone), so I'm not really looking to buy the latest and the most expensive model of AW, but I'm at the same time wondering:

Is AW4 is adequate for that or has the fall detection feature been improved in later versions of Apple Watches? I know that AW7 now detects falls during cycling, but that's a different story. Because in my case because the person I'd be buying it for stays at home only. So it would be strictly for home use with any with potential falls/trips while walking around the apartment. Or if momentarily losing balance and falling on the floor.

Will AW4 do for the above? Also, a bit concerned that watchOS 9 would no longer support AW4 next year? Supposedly even if that was the case watchOS 8 would still be supported for a few years? (But I guess since AW3 is still supported as we speak, it'd be safe to assume that AW4 would still be supported at least through watchOS 9 (and iOS 16), right?)

 

[tenordrum]

I don't have an AW4, but I own the AW5 cellular version , in part for the emergency notification feature, as I walk about 5 miles per day on county trails near our house. I don't have a cellular plan but if I fall it can call 911 and/or my emergency notifications . I have had a couple of falls (slippery trails, and once after getting a Covid shot and I should not have tried my daily walk) and the AW5 asked me if I had fallen, so I had to tell it I was ok. I have had some serious health issues, so using the watch gives my spouse some peace of mind. The AW5 has the ECG app, which is a good feature for my use as well.

Does your senior family member have the ability to put it on a charger each day, given the normal battery drain?

 

[Allyance]

Fall detection works great for me, I have trigger it couple of times, not serious. Does your senior person have an iPhone? Watch needs to be paired to an iPhone for updates and apps. Maybe some one else can chime in if they have an AW without an iPhone. I got my version 5 SS which comes with cellular because I ride fairly aggressively through twisty back roads, and wanted the extra ability to summon help if required. (See my Avitar). BTW, I am 77.

 

[NoBoMac]

A couple of things.

Safe bet is five years for support for an Apple device. So an AW4 is at least September 2023. Will still work, but no sw updates and repairs will/might be an issue.

And sorry if a "no duh" moment from me...

Fall detection: what is the real goal here? Fall detection will only notify you once 911 is called and you are in the Emergency Contacts. So, yes, will get notified, but if looking for an early warning type thing, might not fit use case.

ADD: obvious question, do they have their own iPhone, so that their Watch is not going crazy with Notifications if paired with someone else's phone? And here, we get to cellular vs GPS model.

ADD2: Can setup AW4 in Family Setup/Sharing, but will need to be cellular.

 

[Howard2k]

Does a cellular watch with no plan notify emergency contacts? I thought that was limited to 911 only.

 

[jon08]

Fall detection works great for me, I have trigger it couple of times, not serious. Does your senior person have an iPhone?

Sure.

Does your senior family member have the ability to put it on a charger each day, given the normal battery drain?

Sure.

A couple of things.

Safe bet is five years for support for an Apple device. So an AW4 is at least September 2023. Will still work, but no sw updates and repairs will/might be an issue.

And sorry if a "no duh" moment from me...

Fall detection: what is the real goal here? Fall detection will only notify you once 911 is called and you are in the Emergency Contacts. So, yes, will get notified, but if looking for an early warning type thing, might not fit use case.

ADD: obvious question, do they have their own iPhone, so that their Watch is not going crazy with Notifications if paired with someone else's phone? And here, we get to cellular vs GPS model.

ADD2: Can setup AW4 in Family Setup/Sharing, but will need to be cellular.

The real goal here is that we get notified if this person falls, no science here. Here in EU it won't call "911" but one of the emergency contacts, which imo is better in cases of "false positives". Always better that it calls us first and then we can call "911" if really needed.

EDIT: turns out AW will call "911" in EU as well.

Yes, of course this person has an iPhone, so it'd be always connected to it and she could use the watch to call from anywhere in their apartment.

 

[toughkitty5]

My concerns are at night. One night, my elderly relative fell from his bed. He pushed his medical alert button on his necklacs and he got a help from that. So, charging Apple Watch at bed time is not good for fall detection I think. Also, if that person goes to a bathroom at night without AW, that situation also makes me worry a little.

Well... everybody's situations are different so it's not easy to say it's good/bad but other than above, I think AW4 works fairly well for your relative.

 

[Night Spring]

Also, if that person goes to a bathroom at night without AW, that situation also makes me worry a little.

Actually, the watch has a flashlight function, which is pretty good for navigating in the dark. So if the person can be persuaded to wear the watch to bed, the AW could serve two functions, as a flashlight and to call for help if they fall down. Of course, not everyone can get used to sleeping with a watch on. But the watch doesn't need to be charged overnight -- even the oldest watches take less than two hours to charge, and the newer ones take an hour or so.

 

[ufgatorvet]

I fell the other day at work (hurdling a baby gate that was keeping my dog in my office)... fell hard, missed the dog, landed on my outstretched left arm/hand that wears the AW and it did not trigger fall alert. I don't know why this didn't work, it was a hard fall, and seems like the exact situation it is for, but perhaps because I "braced" myself as a fell and almost immediately got up??

Do you need to fall, and remain still on the ground for a period of time before it triggers? If you immediately get up and moving, does it assume you don't need a personal injury attorney?

 

[jetsam]

I fell the other day at work (hurdling a baby gate that was keeping my dog in my office)... fell hard, missed the dog, landed on my outstretched left arm/hand that wears the AW and it did not trigger fall alert. I don't know why this didn't work, it was a hard fall, and seems like the exact situation it is for, but perhaps because I "braced" myself as a fell and almost immediately got up??

Do you need to fall, and remain still on the ground for a period of time before it triggers? If you immediately get up and moving, does it assume you don't need a personal injury attorney?

I think it might not have activated because your watch wasn't absorbing much energy when you fell. I've gotten numerous false alarms - most recently when clapping my hands. And then I get the two questions: 1) Are you alright? [Yes] 2) Did you fall? [No]

 

[Howard2k]

If you fall and get up it assumes you don’t it to call emergency services on your behalf. If you can get up you can decide whether to make that call yourself.

 

[Thirio2]

I have the AW4 and disabled fall detection because of false alarms. I bent down to pick something up and it asked me if I fell. If something similar had happened while I was mowing the yard, for example, I probably would not notice and would trigger a 911 call. If your senior family member is not as active this should not be a problem. If they did not need help, they could cancel 911 and/or call you. My wife fell and she was ok and could cancel the call. All this to say it should work if you are ok with the sensitivity.

 

[KennyJr]

I've fallen twice and in each case got a bit banged up. Both times my watch told me that it looks like I've taken a hard fall. In each case I told it I was okay - but I also had the option of clicking on emergency SOS. Had I not moved for a full minute after the fall, the watch would have called 911 - following that it would have called my emergency contacts. Being in my eighties I really do appreciate this feature. By the way, you can often find the Apple Watch SE on sale (currently on sale at Target for $229 - $50 off). And the SE is a current year watch which will have years of life ahead of it.

 

[Allyance]

I fell the other day at work (hurdling a baby gate that was keeping my dog in my office)... fell hard, missed the dog, landed on my outstretched left arm/hand that wears the AW and it did not trigger fall alert. I don't know why this didn't work, it was a hard fall, and seems like the exact situation it is for, but perhaps because I "braced" myself as a fell and almost immediately got up??

Do you need to fall, and remain still on the ground for a period of time before it triggers? If you immediately get up and moving, does it assume you don't need a personal injury attorney?

Fall is triggered by an accelerometer, I have triggered mine by clapping hard (at my cat). The angle you hit the ground may have something to do with it, arm outstretched vs hard slam in a vertical fall. I am sure it is not full proof under every condition. Try clapping hard to test.

 

[jon08]

Thanks for your replies so far. I have a couple of more questions:

1) Is fall detection “sensitive” at all to age? Eg. would it go off faster (more false positives maybe?) if you set your age to 80 or 90 for example, as opposed to a young 25-yr-old?

2) When you specify "Emergency Contacts" and if the 1st contact on the list doesn't pick up the call if Fall Detection goes off and phones it, will AW call the 2nd contact on the list and so on until someone picks up? Or will it only call the 1st contact on the list?

 

[swandy]

I fell the other day at work (hurdling a baby gate that was keeping my dog in my office)... fell hard, missed the dog, landed on my outstretched left arm/hand that wears the AW and it did not trigger fall alert. I don't know why this didn't work, it was a hard fall, and seems like the exact situation it is for, but perhaps because I "braced" myself as a fell and almost immediately got up??

Do you need to fall, and remain still on the ground for a period of time before it triggers? If you immediately get up and moving, does it assume you don't need a personal injury attorney?

They have definitely improved the false calls. I got one (back when I had the AW4) by taking my watch off and quickly throwing it on the bed to take a shower. My wife came in saying "Why is your Watch making noises?" Fortunately I was able to answer the questions in time. Called Apple support - surprised because I assumed that the Watch locking itself when removed from a wrist would prevent the "fall" call - but apparently I tossed it too quickly. (At least that was the Apple support theory.)