Fall detection watches/Parkinsons

[Flora73]

My 75 year old Mum has Parkinsons and yesterday had 3 seizures out of the blue. She lives on her own but is fiercely independent and will not stay with me. Can anyone recommend a watch that can detect a fall and contact me?

I think the Apple Watch would be overkill to be honest. She wouldn’t use it for all the functionality it has.

Thanks.

I don't know about watches by my DM has advanced Parkinson's (and now dementia) and has had a Telecare alarm for a couple of years now. It's been invaluable. Hers was provided by the local SS / Community Ageing Team and is monitored by them so someone goes out automatically if it's activated. But you can get them privately (which is what she had before but it wasn't automatically activated, she had to press a button and one time she fell and didn't press it so the local community ageing team replaced it with the current one).

Thank you so much. I will look into that now.

Epilepsy action has some helpful information on their website about alarms and monitors, including VAT exemption that may apply. We tried a wrist worn seizure alert device for a couple of years for a family member who was experiencing seizures but stopped the service as his seizures became more controlled and the device didn't pick up on falls (neither did his Apple Watch) and wouldn't record activity outside the house. It did show periods of sleep/activity and had a good system for ringing designated contacts if triggered

My Mum had a Careline falls alarm which was excellent.

Googling “fall detection” gives a lot of hits including this from Age UK

Apple says Apple Watch series 4 and upwards has fall detection. Series 4 is selling from £100 for a reconditioned model.

My mum has a fall alert pendant through Taking Care. Works brilliantly for her, incudes tracking so if something happens when she's out & about we know where she is.
She sets it off in error sometimes but they're lovely at the contact office and very understanding.They have a list of 5 people to contact, and if they can't get in touch with any of us they automatically call an ambulance (thankfully that's never happened). We got it as she had a bad fall in the garden and had to crawl indoors when she came round to phone someone.

Our local council has a telecare system and some of the pendants or wrist worn alternatives can also have falls sensors in them. This alerts the calls centre when activated and they have nominated people to contact in case of emergencies.

There is a small cost associated but it seems to be a good system

Remember that if you are buying kit for a diagnosed medical condition, the purchase should be zero rated for VAT. (20% discount effectively).

My mum has a fall detector wristband that was arranged through social care at the council. It doesn't cost much and is pretty good. The only real problem is that if she slides gently to the floor rather than falling suddenly it doesn't go off. She can still press it to call for help though and has done sometimes. Previously she had the necklace one and never used to press it because she didn't want to disturb anyone. We have found the combination of that and a camera in her bedroom (where she falls most often) has been really useful. For example if she rolls over in her sleep and triggers it they try talking to her over the unit, then they try phoning. If she doesn't answer they phone us and we can check the camera to see if she's in bed sleeping before they despatch a crew.

My mom has always been independent, but after she had a bad fall last year, I knew she needed something to keep her safe without taking away her freedom. I got her the https://medalertcare.com/products/medical-alert-watch/ from MedAlertCare.com, and it has been a great choice.

It automatically detects falls, alerts me right away, and has GPS tracking and two-way communication for emergencies. It’s simple to use, unlike some high-tech smartwatches.

Based on my experience, I’d definitely recommend it for your mom—it offers safety without compromising independence.

The care alarm systems can include a wristband 'alarm' which activates an alarm if the person falls. My dad started of with the normal one and moved to the falls one later on. You can normally 'rent' the system from their local council, which is easier than buying.