As a blogger, I get compensated for some of my posts when I discuss a product and someone purchases it. This is my job and how I get paid. I will not, however, recommend or discuss a product that I don’t feel is of benefit or value to my readers. My thoughts on these products are my own.
For any of my readers who has a family member with a disability or an aging parent, you know that feeling in the pit of your stomach when your phone rings at an odd hour from your loved one. The first thing that crosses your mind is “what happened?” We’re always waiting for the phone call that someone fell, is in the ER or from the police that they were in a car crash.
Someone shared with me an Instagram post of the ultimate caregiver sandwich – where you’re in the middle sandwiched between your kids and your aging parents. But add in disabilities or chronic illnesses and the daily stress is debilitating.
“Caregiving has all the features of a chronic stress experience: It creates physical and psychological strain over extended periods of time, is accompanied by high levels of unpredictability and uncontrollability, has the capacity to create secondary stress in multiple life domains such as work and family relationships.” The American Journal of Nursing
A great deal of this stress comes from the vigilance required to safeguard the person against injury. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury for older adults and getting help quickly is critical to preventing additional complications. There is nothing more frustrating for adult children than when their parents insist they don’t need help and, in fact, refuse devices and products that could make life easier.
I remember when my dad first showing signs of Alzheimer’s and would get a bit disoriented. He would go out for his walk every day and I asked my mom if she was worried that he’d get confused as to where he was and wander off. Her response to me was that it was fine, she knew his route. Of course, this only holds up if dad stays on the route. What she didn’t want to accept is that it only takes one minute for him to stray off his normal route and end up lost.
Caring for our aging parents can be exhausting in the best of circumstances but when they put up objections due to pride or embarrassment it takes it to another level.
What most people don’t realize is that there are now products that are functional as well as fashionable and don’t even look like medical devices.
One that I recommend to anyone who has an adult child or spouse with a disability or an aging parent is the Mobile Help Smart Watch. While it looks like a traditional watch, this is a health tracker, smart device and medical alert system all-in-one.
Unlike the old-school plastic medical alert pendants that no one wants to wear, the Mobile Help Smart Watch has a built-in microphone and speaker, activity tracking, vital sign sensors and health-focused applications such as the ability to measure heart rate, target fitness and diet goals and even view the weather with a built-in weather app.
If there is a medical emergency the person just needs to push the Help button and connect with the Emergency Response Center. Most importantly the built-in GPS location tracking will allow Emergency Responders to find the person quickly even if he/she can’t identify where they are.
The Mobile Help Smart Watch works with all carriers and the battery lasts for 2 days on one charge.
Having the peace of mind knowing my mom can get help immediately if something happens when she’s out in the community makes me a lot less stressed.
