Am I being a bad son by not buying my mother an Apple Watch for all its life saving health features??

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arnprasad

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Every second day I keep reading news on how somebody's life was saved coz his apple watch popped up some vital statistics which the doctor decoded and gave timely treatment. While some of these can be fanboy based/over-hyped - am sure getting a ton of health related statistics can help - that too if some of them are being monitored 24/7.

My mom is 76 years old and healthy. Thanks to Covid, she hardly moves out of the house and her exercise is limited to household work - she does have an old school Mi band which tracks her walking, which she has stopped wearing.

Hence the current dilemma - should I buy her an apple watch and if so - which one offers best bang for the buck? I got relatives who might travel first half next year from US and hence dont mind picking it up during black friday sales.

Alternates could be the Xiaomi/Huami watches which seem to get good reviews on Amazon and Flipkart.

Aliexpress has hundreds of models, many of whom come with free shipping. Although being generic brands, not sure how well they work.

Also amongst HR, Blood Oxygen, Sleep....etc....which ones are vital to track for people without underlying health issues?

An example of a cheap generic chinese watch which might give Dr. Lal Path labs sleepless nights!!!

www.aliexpress.com

20.88US $ |H30 Smart Watch Men DIY Watch Face 1.3 Full Touch Fitness Bracelet Heart rate Blood Pressure Smartwatch Women Wristwatch VS L15|Smart Wristbands| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com

I do have a fancy Garmin Watch - Fenix HR 3 Sapphire - including heart straps and what not.... All I use it is to check time and before Covid...check out my daily steps :(
 
Last edited:
My question is, what did people do before these new fangled devices came in? My take would be, follow up with your mother, visit her when you can, share the joys of her grandchildren with her, ask to eat and stay healthy, light exercise and a hopefully stress free life. A visit to the doctor etc should do the trick. My take on the whole thing.
 
Buy your mum whatever she is comfortable using.
That said, this pandemic has brought out many unwanted issue to the fore.
One side effect of staying at home is lack of exposure to sunlight.
Please ensure the elderly have sufficient exposure to sunlight, if possible early rays.
This helps the body in synthesizing Vit-D.
Low levels of Vit-D can lead to insufficient absorption of other minerals, eg calcium.

Cheers,
Raghu
 
I think you Should Enroll yourself to a Nursing School and Do a Graduation in Nursing and Emergency Care Paramedic training...
That way you'll be more useful than Apple Watch. Your knowledge, presence and anticipation of emergencies will be more useful than a monitoring device.

If you ask your mom, she'll be more than happy, to have raised a responsible child and a caring Son. Your family visiting her more often will be more than enough for them to feel secure and healthy.
 
arnprasad said:
Every second day I keep reading news on how somebody's life was saved coz his apple watch popped up some vital statistics which the doctor decoded and gave timely treatment. While some of these can be fanboy based/over-hyped - am sure getting a ton of health related statistics can help - that too if some of them are being monitored 24/7.

My mom is 76 years old and healthy. Thanks to Covid, she hardly moves out of the house and her exercise is limited to household work - she does have an old school Mi band which tracks her walking, which she has stopped wearing.

Hence the current dilemma - should I buy her an apple watch and if so - which one offers best bang for the buck? I got relatives who might travel first half next year from US and hence dont mind picking it up during black friday sales.

Alternates could be the Xiaomi/Huami watches which seem to get good reviews on Amazon and Flipkart.

Aliexpress has hundreds of models, many of whom come with free shipping. Although being generic brands, not sure how well they work.

Also amongst HR, Blood Oxygen, Sleep....etc....which ones are vital to track for people without underlying health issues?

An example of a cheap generic chinese watch which might give Dr. Lal Path labs sleepless nights!!!

www.aliexpress.com

20.88US $ |H30 Smart Watch Men DIY Watch Face 1.3 Full Touch Fitness Bracelet Heart rate Blood Pressure Smartwatch Women Wristwatch VS L15|Smart Wristbands| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com
www.aliexpress.com www.aliexpress.com

I do have a fancy Garmin Watch - Fenix HR 3 Sapphire - including heart straps and what not.... All I use it is to check time and before Covid...check out my daily steps :(
Click to expand...
Just chill. Apple keeps hi lighting these kind of news to promote its sales. Or if you are feeling guilty just buy and be at peace and if you are buying then buy the best or you will again feel bad. Being around for her will be enough I guess....these times are tough.
 
There is marketing and then there is marketing disguised as news! Don't fall for both. Apple watch would do nothing more than having another apple device whihc you should baby sit. Unlike mi band the apple watch breaks in a drop. And it costs the same as buying one new for its repairs.
 
If your mom wants to watch that she want to use all the time, then Apple Watch is quite good. There are certainly useful features such as fall detection, irregular heart rate detection, etc. Also, you should cellular version, which I will highly recommend if you are looking at it for the safety benefit as it will work post phone's Bluetooth range. There is an extra cost for the watch but the service is free in India on Jio and Airtel. Now, if you want the cellular version, you cannot get it from the US as it doesn't work in India. But you can find it cheaper in Dubai.

Again, the key here is if your mom is willing to wear it all the time. For me, it's the biggest blocker.

Hope this helps.
 
raghupb said:
Buy your mum whatever she is comfortable using.
That said, this pandemic has brought out many unwanted issue to the fore.
One side effect of staying at home is lack of exposure to sunlight.
Please ensure the elderly have sufficient exposure to sunlight, if possible early rays.
This helps the body in synthesizing Vit-D.
Low levels of Vit-D can lead to insufficient absorption of other minerals, eg calcium.

Cheers,
Raghu
Click to expand...
Very true.. lack of sunlight is causing harm to our body without us knowing it.
@arnprasad
Think of the times when people didn't have smartwatches. Our previous generation was always healthier than us. Same for their previous and so on. Technology is a good assistant, but you cannot skip what is essential and pray for notifications to predict things.

Proper nutrition, exercise/walk, love and care are all that is needed for our elders to stay fit.
 
Vinod.R said:
My question is, what did people do before these new fangled devices came in? My take would be, follow up with your mother, visit her when you can, share the joys of her grandchildren with her, ask to eat and stay healthy, light exercise and a hopefully stress free life. A visit to the doctor etc should do the trick. My take on the whole thing.
Click to expand...
She stays with me only :)
 
drkrack said:
I think you Should Enroll yourself to a Nursing School and Do a Graduation in Nursing and Emergency Care Paramedic training...
That way you'll be more useful than Apple Watch. Your knowledge, presence and anticipation of emergencies will be more useful than a monitoring device.

If you ask your mom, she'll be more than happy, to have raised a responsible child and a caring Son. Your family visiting her more often will be more than enough for them to feel secure and healthy.
Click to expand...
Saying these things are easier said than done. Reason I asked was..say even if there is a 5% chance that it might help - still worth getting. Festival times..we all are planning to buy something or the other. Say I had 30K to spend - would rather spend it on the watch if it helps.

We all give our kids health drinks like Bournvita or Horlicks or worse still Protinex..knowing very well that a healthy Indian diet is more than enough. My question was more on those lines. Am sure we dont go philosophical or reminisce of old times when we buy bournvita..do we?? :)
 
I think it’s a no brainer if one can afford one. If the dreaded event that necessitates the use of the watch doesn’t arise , well that is good news. And if such an event does take place , well we have the watch, don’t we.
 
Marketing relies on our doubts and fears and tries to cash on it. Don't fall for it. Gift her something she would use and love to have. Like I said in my earlier post, there are better ways to plan for the care of a loved one. For example a regular checkup with a family doctor. A nice outing with them to release their mental stress or a visit to a loved one by ones mother etc. Usually speaking an Apple watch would be another "gadget" they would hate.
 
Imo give her your Garmin watch and lets see if see use it comfortably then you should buy apple watch for her.
Your post remind me of my mother and make me cry, she pass away 4 years back.
I am sure you her taking good care.
God bless.
 
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but as a qualified general surgeon i thought my 2 cents would give someone better peace of mind.
It's better buy a good quality mercury or sensor based sphygmomanometer ( preferably diamond branded ) and learn to measure the blood pressure, it's quite easy, regularly do bp charting and also buy an accu-check glucometer and do take her fasting and post prandial blood sugars at regular intervals and do chart the readings, also get her an ECG done at regular intervals. Undiagnosed and untreated hypertension and diabetes are major killers in old age. Consult a proper physician whenever you find deviations in her bp or pulse (By pulse oximeter) or blood sugar lever or any other alarming symptom. Believe me no technology could come near to clinical acumen of a good qualified physician.
 
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