Tonight I attended the first monthly support group for 2024. We are a bunch of early stage people with Parkinson’s and all under 65. Partners are welcome too and it is nice to see them tapping into the group as a support.
We talk about many things at this group and while it is a relaxed type of environment, we also compare notes on things we experience in life and what supports we might need.
For some time I have been looking at changing my ‘Smart Watch’ which is a Fitbit that I have had for 5 years which has a failing battery and needs to be charged daily. As I am needing a new watch anyway, I have been looking at options that have a ‘falls’ or ‘incident’ feature. There are quite a few brands now that offer this feature and I feel it would be really useful for me. Although I do not have any problem with falls due to my Parkinson’s at the moment, I do spend long periods of time at home alone when my husband is doing shiftwork. I also like to go for long bike rides on my own and of course this could possibly pose a risk of a fall and the need to summon help.
While talking about the need for some kind of safety device at some stage, we all agreed- from personal experience with our elderly relatives – that it can be challenging to get someone to agree to a personal medical alarm to be able to summon help in an emergency. However, we all agreed that many people now wear ‘Smart Watches’ and so wearing a trendy watch that just happens to have a feature to call for help could be a win/win for many.
I have been doing some research and the main watches I have found are as follows:
- Apple Watch – Needs to be paired with an Apple phone, so this can be an expensive package.
- Samsung – I have spoken to someone in a local tech store and although Samsung say it is compatible with any android phone, they have had people return them as this was not the case. It appears then that pairing with a Samsung phone is necessary.
- Garmin – They have a ‘forerunner’ series all of which have an ‘incident’ or falls feature. They can be paired with any android phone and just have to load an application to use. Reviews I have read have endorsed the watch as having a really good battery life too of some 10 + days.
There are others, but it is probably best to do your own research. For myself, I am going to buy myself a Garmin watch. It looks robust, has a number of different models and colours and I won’t have to change my phone. Many of the main stores like Harvey Norman, Noel Leemings, JayCar and I’m sure others out there will have a range of options to look at.
Just something to put in your toolkit for supports you can take charge of yourself whether you are the PWP or their supporter.
Who doesn’t like a nice watch after all?
My journey with Parkinsons 